Literature About a boy who has to collect the stories of the dying
No one in the mountain village of Gruma can die without the boy Walter. Swiss author Vincenzo Todisco explains why this is the case and how it happens in his new novel - tragic, funny and a little scary.
22.08.2024, 06:45
SDA
When the Dalai Lama dies, his reincarnation is sought among the novices in Tibet and appointed as his successor while he is still a child. Things are similar in the Italian mountain village of Gruma with the "story taker", a kind of death companion. There is no escape for little Walter either: After the bossy Zia Filina chooses him, his fate is sealed.
When a person's life in the village comes to an end, Walter is summoned to listen quietly to the dying person's last, most secret and difficult stories. Afterwards, he can leave the world with a sense of relief. But the stories live on in Walter. He can never get rid of them. Walter hears voices in his head, more and more voices, he can already see the dead faces of the living, smells of death himself and thinks he is going mad.
What a cruel custom, you think as you read, full of pity for the poor boy. At the same time, you are fascinated by Gruma's intricate life and love stories. Vincenzo Todisco, whose parents once immigrated to Switzerland from Italy, has created the ideal setting for an archaic morality tale in his novel of the same name.
Well, one day Walter's mother rebels, breaks this framework and disappears with her son. But he still has to invent his own story.
*This text by Tina Uhlmann, Keystone-SDA, was realized with the help of the Gottlieb and Hans Vogt Foundation.
