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The Grass Harp
Set in a small Southern town in the 1930s, this classic work tells the story of three endearing misfits--an orphaned boy and two whimsical old ladies--who one day take up residence in a tree house. Now a major motion picture from Fine Line Features, starring Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, Piper Laurie, and Nell Carter.
97 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
About the author
Truman Capote
312 books6,481 followersTruman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a salesman Archulus Persons and young Lillie Mae. His parents divorced when he was four and he went to live with his mother's relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. He was a lonely child who learned to read and write by himself before entering school. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her new husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born businessman. Mr. Capote adopted Truman, legally changing his last name to Capote and enrolling him in private school. After graduating from high school in 1942, Truman Capote began his regular job as a copy boy at The New Yorker. During this time, he also began his career as a writer, publishing many short stories which introduced him into a circle of literary critics. His first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and became controversial because of the photograph of Capote used to promote the novel, posing seductively and gazing into the camera.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a salesman Archulus Persons and young Lillie Mae. His parents divorced when he was four and he went to live with his mother's relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. He was a lonely child who learned to read and write by himself before entering school. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her new husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born businessman. Mr. Capote adopted Truman, legally changing his last name to Capote and enrolling him in private school. After graduating from high school in 1942, Truman Capote began his regular job as a copy boy at The New Yorker. During this time, he also began his career as a writer, publishing many short stories which introduced him into a circle of literary critics. His first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and became controversial because of the photograph of Capote used to promote the novel, posing seductively and gazing into the camera.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.
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March 9, 2024
The Grass Harp is a field of grass not far from a cemetery so when the wind is blowing grass starts whispering in the tongues of the dead…
When the boy's mother dies he is sent to live with two spinster aunts and their old Negro maid… And their homestead is a truly strange establishment… All three women are quite eccentric… While aunt Dolly is especially odd…
After two sisters quarreled aunt Dolly, the boy and the maid leave home and find their refuge in the old tree house. And their clandestine escape leads to incredible consequences…
They also meet an impecunious Evangelist preacher – a single mother with her fifteen children…
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…
Below the hill grows a field of high Indian grass that changes color with the seasons: go to see it in the fall, late September, when it has gone red as sunset, when scarlet shadows like firelight breeze over it and the autumn winds strum on its dry leaves sighing human music, a harp of voices.
When the boy's mother dies he is sent to live with two spinster aunts and their old Negro maid… And their homestead is a truly strange establishment… All three women are quite eccentric… While aunt Dolly is especially odd…
About all natural things Dolly was sophisticated; she had the subterranean intelligence of a bee that knows where to find the sweetest flower: she could tell you of a storm a day in advance, predict the fruit of the fig tree, lead you to mushrooms and wild honey, a hidden nest of guinea hen eggs.
After two sisters quarreled aunt Dolly, the boy and the maid leave home and find their refuge in the old tree house. And their clandestine escape leads to incredible consequences…
They also meet an impecunious Evangelist preacher – a single mother with her fifteen children…
Sister Ida chose a place on the bank from which she could supervise the bathing. “No cheating now – I want to see a lot of commotion.” We did. Suddenly girls old enough to be married were trotting around and not a stitch on; boys, too, big and little all in there together naked as jaybirds.
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…
April 6, 2019
"Below the hill grows a field of high Indian grass that changes color with the seasons: go to see it in the fall, late September, when it has gone red as sunset, when scarlet shadows like firelight breeze over it and the autumn winds strum on its dry leaves sighing human music, a harp of voices."
As a child, did you ever dream of owning a tree house? I know I sure did. We never had the right kind of tree for it though, so instead us kids would improvise with blankets, hedges, maybe a chair or two, and build what we thought were some pretty complex outdoor forts. We’d drag in pillows and sleeping bags, books, toys, play cooking pots and utensils, and some snacks. Countless hours of pure bliss would be spent in these makeshift homes, until we were called in to wash up for dinner. Now, as an adult, I wish once again for a tree house into which I could escape! Well, it’s a dream once more, and I don’t even have a neat substitute like my childhood forts. This lovely novella, however, took me to a house in the trees for a short time and I loved every minute of it.
No longer feeling welcome in her sister Verena’s home, Dolly Talbo strikes out with her long-time companion, Catherine, for the woods. The two spinster ladies bring along Dolly’s sixteen year old orphaned nephew, Collin Fenwick, a boy on the cusp of manhood. All three are essentially misfits (that misfit song by Burl Ives kept running through my head). Together they form a little family and home of sorts up in the branches and leaves of the China tree when joined by local ‘bad boy’, Riley Henderson, and Judge Charlie Cool, a philosophical old man that after years of passing judgment on others, wants the freedom to do the ‘right thing’. I adored all of these characters for different reasons, and Truman Capote breathes life into each of them. There was something about Dolly that seemed almost otherworldly when described through the eyes of Collin.
"… she had the subterranean intelligence of a bee that knows where to find the sweetest flower: she could tell you of a storm a day in advance, predict the fruit of the fig tree, lead you to mushrooms and wild honey, a hidden nest of guinea hen eggs. She looked around her, and felt what she saw."
I don’t want to spoil this by telling you too much of what happens in that tree house. I will say that there are some wonderful little lessons about belonging, and love, and the choices we make. The prose is luminous, and the dialogue is smart and often humorous. As the story is told by an older Collin looking back many years, the tone is very nostalgic. I nearly believed he was recounting one of my own childhood memories. I could hear the voices of the grass harp telling me their stories. I highly recommend you take your own little adventure to the China tree. You won’t regret it.
"… ah, the energy we spend hiding from one another, afraid as we are of being identified. But here we are, identified: five fools in a tree. A great piece of luck provided we know how to use it: no longer any need to worry about the picture we present – free to find out who we truly are."
As a child, did you ever dream of owning a tree house? I know I sure did. We never had the right kind of tree for it though, so instead us kids would improvise with blankets, hedges, maybe a chair or two, and build what we thought were some pretty complex outdoor forts. We’d drag in pillows and sleeping bags, books, toys, play cooking pots and utensils, and some snacks. Countless hours of pure bliss would be spent in these makeshift homes, until we were called in to wash up for dinner. Now, as an adult, I wish once again for a tree house into which I could escape! Well, it’s a dream once more, and I don’t even have a neat substitute like my childhood forts. This lovely novella, however, took me to a house in the trees for a short time and I loved every minute of it.
No longer feeling welcome in her sister Verena’s home, Dolly Talbo strikes out with her long-time companion, Catherine, for the woods. The two spinster ladies bring along Dolly’s sixteen year old orphaned nephew, Collin Fenwick, a boy on the cusp of manhood. All three are essentially misfits (that misfit song by Burl Ives kept running through my head). Together they form a little family and home of sorts up in the branches and leaves of the China tree when joined by local ‘bad boy’, Riley Henderson, and Judge Charlie Cool, a philosophical old man that after years of passing judgment on others, wants the freedom to do the ‘right thing’. I adored all of these characters for different reasons, and Truman Capote breathes life into each of them. There was something about Dolly that seemed almost otherworldly when described through the eyes of Collin.
"… she had the subterranean intelligence of a bee that knows where to find the sweetest flower: she could tell you of a storm a day in advance, predict the fruit of the fig tree, lead you to mushrooms and wild honey, a hidden nest of guinea hen eggs. She looked around her, and felt what she saw."
I don’t want to spoil this by telling you too much of what happens in that tree house. I will say that there are some wonderful little lessons about belonging, and love, and the choices we make. The prose is luminous, and the dialogue is smart and often humorous. As the story is told by an older Collin looking back many years, the tone is very nostalgic. I nearly believed he was recounting one of my own childhood memories. I could hear the voices of the grass harp telling me their stories. I highly recommend you take your own little adventure to the China tree. You won’t regret it.
"… ah, the energy we spend hiding from one another, afraid as we are of being identified. But here we are, identified: five fools in a tree. A great piece of luck provided we know how to use it: no longer any need to worry about the picture we present – free to find out who we truly are."
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March 3, 2019
UNA BOTTIGLIA PIENA DI VOCI
Il film del 1995 “The Grass Harp – Storie d’amore” diretto da Charles Matthau.
Se, uscendo dalla città, imboccate la strada della chiesa, rasenterete di lì a poco una abbagliante collina di pietre candide come ossa e di scuri fiori riarsi: è il cimitero Battista. Vi sono sepolti i membri della nostra famiglia, i Talbo, i Fenwick. Mia madre riposa accanto a mio padre e le tombe dei parenti e degli affini, venti o più, sono disposte intorno a loro come radici prone di un albero di pietra. Sotto la collina si stende un campo di alta saggina, che muta di colore a ogni stagione; andate a vederlo in autunno, nel tardo settembre, quando diventa rosso come il tramonto, mentre riflessi scarlatti simili a falò ondeggiano su di esso e i venti dell’autunno battono sulle sue foglie secche evocando il sospiro di una musica umana, di un’arpa di voci.
Il giovane protagonista Edward Furlong.
Con un (quasi) incipit del genere, difficile non pensare ai più famosi defunti sepolti sulla collina dell’Antologia di Spoon River: anche quelle voci sembravano portate dal vento, e mentre viaggiavano raccontavano storie.
E quando alla fine del primo capitolo, tre dei protagonisti, inclusa la giovane voce narrante, così à la Capote, si rifugiano per protesta e ribellione nella casa sull’albero, come non pensare al giovane barone rampante Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò?
I tre interpreti principali: Edward Furlong, Piper Laurie, Walter Matthau, padre del regista.
Romanzo del Sud (degli US), impregnato di quegli umori, rurale e provinciale, con la natura in primo piano, e anche romanzo di formazione, Capote stesso si fa arpa di voci, e ne racconta tante, le racconta tutte, non solo quella che più gli assomiglia, la voce del sedicenne Collin.
Tra tutte le voci, forse, la più bella è quella della zia Dolly, sessantenne dotata dell’intelligenza misteriosa dell’ape, piena d’immaginazione ma anche un po’ fattucchiera, anima leggera ma anche terrena, che lo inizia alla vita vera senza però farlo smettere di sognare.
Ecco, per esempio, come gli parla dell’amore:
Stiamo parlando di amore. Una foglia, una foglia, una manciata di semi... Comincia con queste cose, impara che cosa sia amare. Prima una foglia o uno scroscio di pioggia... poi qualcuno per ricevere ciò che una foglia ti ha insegnato, ciò che uno scroscio di pioggia ti ha fatto maturare. Non è un processo facile, intendimi; potrebbe richiedere una intera vita, come è accaduto a me. Eppure non sono mai riuscito a padroneggiarlo. So soltanto questo: che l’amore è una catena di amore, come la natura è una catena di vita.
Collin narratore è adulto quando incomincia il suo racconto, ci porta agli anni in cui era adolescente, per poi chiudere il cerchio a fine romanzo di nuovo adulto, tirando le conclusioni sulla caducità delle cose e delle ambizioni.
Anche l’arpa d’erba chiude il suo anello, è suonata dal vento all’inizio e di nuovo alla fine, accoglie e diffonde le voci, racconta le storie:
Una cascata di colori fluiva tra le foglie secche e sonore…: era un’arpa d’erba che registrava i suoni e li riproduceva, un’arpa di voci che ricordavano una storia. Ascoltammo.
Pagine dense e pregne di soave nostalgia, struggenti e poetiche, delicate ironiche e umane, fiabesche e improbabili ma vere come solo l’arte riesce a essere.
Uno sguardo che si volta indietro agli anni di un’infanzia straordinaria che nel ricordo brilla di felicità e incanto: di quel periodo rimangono solo alcune cose, consumate o trasformate, così come passano e cambiano le persone: a permanere sono i sentimenti, l’amore prima di tutto, e i ricordi.
Il resto passa. Il resto è vano.
L’innocenza è perduta nel momento in cui salgono sull’albero o quando invece ne discendono?
La zia Dolly era l'unica persona al mondo alla quale Collin poteva dire tutto.
Ma forse, quando si può dire ogni cosa, non c’è più nulla da dire.
Ah, come controlla la sua scrittura Capote, come riesce a essere consapevolmente classico e rigoroso, senza tempo ed eterno!
Il film del 1995 “The Grass Harp – Storie d’amore” diretto da Charles Matthau.
Se, uscendo dalla città, imboccate la strada della chiesa, rasenterete di lì a poco una abbagliante collina di pietre candide come ossa e di scuri fiori riarsi: è il cimitero Battista. Vi sono sepolti i membri della nostra famiglia, i Talbo, i Fenwick. Mia madre riposa accanto a mio padre e le tombe dei parenti e degli affini, venti o più, sono disposte intorno a loro come radici prone di un albero di pietra. Sotto la collina si stende un campo di alta saggina, che muta di colore a ogni stagione; andate a vederlo in autunno, nel tardo settembre, quando diventa rosso come il tramonto, mentre riflessi scarlatti simili a falò ondeggiano su di esso e i venti dell’autunno battono sulle sue foglie secche evocando il sospiro di una musica umana, di un’arpa di voci.
Il giovane protagonista Edward Furlong.
Con un (quasi) incipit del genere, difficile non pensare ai più famosi defunti sepolti sulla collina dell’Antologia di Spoon River: anche quelle voci sembravano portate dal vento, e mentre viaggiavano raccontavano storie.
E quando alla fine del primo capitolo, tre dei protagonisti, inclusa la giovane voce narrante, così à la Capote, si rifugiano per protesta e ribellione nella casa sull’albero, come non pensare al giovane barone rampante Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò?
I tre interpreti principali: Edward Furlong, Piper Laurie, Walter Matthau, padre del regista.
Romanzo del Sud (degli US), impregnato di quegli umori, rurale e provinciale, con la natura in primo piano, e anche romanzo di formazione, Capote stesso si fa arpa di voci, e ne racconta tante, le racconta tutte, non solo quella che più gli assomiglia, la voce del sedicenne Collin.
Tra tutte le voci, forse, la più bella è quella della zia Dolly, sessantenne dotata dell’intelligenza misteriosa dell’ape, piena d’immaginazione ma anche un po’ fattucchiera, anima leggera ma anche terrena, che lo inizia alla vita vera senza però farlo smettere di sognare.
Ecco, per esempio, come gli parla dell’amore:
Stiamo parlando di amore. Una foglia, una foglia, una manciata di semi... Comincia con queste cose, impara che cosa sia amare. Prima una foglia o uno scroscio di pioggia... poi qualcuno per ricevere ciò che una foglia ti ha insegnato, ciò che uno scroscio di pioggia ti ha fatto maturare. Non è un processo facile, intendimi; potrebbe richiedere una intera vita, come è accaduto a me. Eppure non sono mai riuscito a padroneggiarlo. So soltanto questo: che l’amore è una catena di amore, come la natura è una catena di vita.
Collin narratore è adulto quando incomincia il suo racconto, ci porta agli anni in cui era adolescente, per poi chiudere il cerchio a fine romanzo di nuovo adulto, tirando le conclusioni sulla caducità delle cose e delle ambizioni.
Anche l’arpa d’erba chiude il suo anello, è suonata dal vento all’inizio e di nuovo alla fine, accoglie e diffonde le voci, racconta le storie:
Una cascata di colori fluiva tra le foglie secche e sonore…: era un’arpa d’erba che registrava i suoni e li riproduceva, un’arpa di voci che ricordavano una storia. Ascoltammo.
Pagine dense e pregne di soave nostalgia, struggenti e poetiche, delicate ironiche e umane, fiabesche e improbabili ma vere come solo l’arte riesce a essere.
Uno sguardo che si volta indietro agli anni di un’infanzia straordinaria che nel ricordo brilla di felicità e incanto: di quel periodo rimangono solo alcune cose, consumate o trasformate, così come passano e cambiano le persone: a permanere sono i sentimenti, l’amore prima di tutto, e i ricordi.
Il resto passa. Il resto è vano.
L’innocenza è perduta nel momento in cui salgono sull’albero o quando invece ne discendono?
La zia Dolly era l'unica persona al mondo alla quale Collin poteva dire tutto.
Ma forse, quando si può dire ogni cosa, non c’è più nulla da dire.
Ah, come controlla la sua scrittura Capote, come riesce a essere consapevolmente classico e rigoroso, senza tempo ed eterno!
February 8, 2023
"Below the hill grows a field of high Indian grass that changes color with the seasons: go to see it in the fall, late September, when it has gone red as sunset, when scarlet shadows like firelight breeze over it and the autumn winds strum on its dry leaves sighing human music, a harp of voices."
—Truman Capote, The Grass Harp.
To describe this short story as being beautifully written wouldn’t do justice to the cinematic prose that drew me into the southern countryside. I felt the heat from the crackling fire built on the river bank and teared up from the smoke that burned my eyes. Truman Capote is a novelist with a poet’s heart.
Collin Fenwick’s mother has died, and to say that his father has taken her death poorly would be a huge understatement. Running naked in the street is not behavior becoming the father of an eleven-year-old child, so the youngster is bundled off to live with his cousins: Verena, Dolly, and their companion Catherine. These women, though financially well off, live quite an eccentric life. Verena runs the household with an iron fist, while Dolly is a dreamer, the one who finds love in all the dark spaces - and Collin adores her.
Eventually, years of repression under Verena's dominance comes to a head, launching Dolly, Collin, and Catherine on a journey that will change, not only their lives, but will alter the paths of those they encounter along the way. A heart-wrenching tale of loss and longing, balanced by the discovery of love and true purpose, kept me glued to my kindle until the very last word.
To quote every stunning passage would have me copying almost the entire book, as it's truly a masterpiece. Bravo, Mr. Capote!
Thank you, Candi, for the incredible review that brought this exquisite work to my attention.
"She was one of those people who can disguise themselves as an object in a room, a shadow in the corner, whose presence is a delicate happening."
"If some wizard would like to make me a present, let him give me a bottle filled with the voices of that kitchen, the ha ha ha and the fire whispering, a bottle brimming with its buttery sugary bakery smells —"
—Truman Capote, The Grass Harp.
To describe this short story as being beautifully written wouldn’t do justice to the cinematic prose that drew me into the southern countryside. I felt the heat from the crackling fire built on the river bank and teared up from the smoke that burned my eyes. Truman Capote is a novelist with a poet’s heart.
Collin Fenwick’s mother has died, and to say that his father has taken her death poorly would be a huge understatement. Running naked in the street is not behavior becoming the father of an eleven-year-old child, so the youngster is bundled off to live with his cousins: Verena, Dolly, and their companion Catherine. These women, though financially well off, live quite an eccentric life. Verena runs the household with an iron fist, while Dolly is a dreamer, the one who finds love in all the dark spaces - and Collin adores her.
Eventually, years of repression under Verena's dominance comes to a head, launching Dolly, Collin, and Catherine on a journey that will change, not only their lives, but will alter the paths of those they encounter along the way. A heart-wrenching tale of loss and longing, balanced by the discovery of love and true purpose, kept me glued to my kindle until the very last word.
To quote every stunning passage would have me copying almost the entire book, as it's truly a masterpiece. Bravo, Mr. Capote!
Thank you, Candi, for the incredible review that brought this exquisite work to my attention.
"She was one of those people who can disguise themselves as an object in a room, a shadow in the corner, whose presence is a delicate happening."
"If some wizard would like to make me a present, let him give me a bottle filled with the voices of that kitchen, the ha ha ha and the fire whispering, a bottle brimming with its buttery sugary bakery smells —"
February 17, 2019
I have a read a variety of Truman Capote’s works from Breakfast at Tiffany’s to In Cold Blood to The Thanksgiving Visitor. He wrote across genres and was a diverse writer. As such, I was intrigued to read his novella The Grass Harp. While not as biographical as his Thanksgiving and Christmas stories, this novella features a boy sent to live with single aunts after the death of his parents. Collin Fenwick is raises by spinster aunts Dolly and Verena Talbo similar to Capote who as a boy was sent to live with relatives following his parents’ divorce. The theme of children of divorced parents and how a mother figure emerges is prevalent in Capote’s writing. In the Grass Harp, that character is Dolly Talbo, a sixty year old who concocts remedies in the backyard with her lifelong friend Catherine Creek. Collin Fenwick comes to exhibit a feminine side or not overly masculine as a result of being raised by women. Again, this crops up in Capote’s other primarily biographical fiction.
I enjoy Capote’s writing as it depicts southern hamlets exhibiting a relaxed way of life. The cast of characters in The Grass Harp is diverse and holds my interest, and each adds to the flavor of the community depicted here. While not as strong to me as some of Capote’s other stories, the story held my interest as I desired to find the resolution to the myriad conflicts featuring Collin, Dolly, and Verena. It would be interesting to me to read another story featuring Collin Fenwick as an adult or another character like him, but Capote has already created similar characters in his other works. In all, a relaxing story for a relaxing weekend morning. I will continue to read the works of Capote in coming years.
3 stars
I enjoy Capote’s writing as it depicts southern hamlets exhibiting a relaxed way of life. The cast of characters in The Grass Harp is diverse and holds my interest, and each adds to the flavor of the community depicted here. While not as strong to me as some of Capote’s other stories, the story held my interest as I desired to find the resolution to the myriad conflicts featuring Collin, Dolly, and Verena. It would be interesting to me to read another story featuring Collin Fenwick as an adult or another character like him, but Capote has already created similar characters in his other works. In all, a relaxing story for a relaxing weekend morning. I will continue to read the works of Capote in coming years.
3 stars
June 4, 2019
Capote masterfully turns the somber Benji figure of Faulkner's lore into a boy that's almost a movie camera. Mostly mute, he gives the reader insights both witty and sad (like a Sunday, like a Johnny Cash Sunday). He is a sly observer & a great filter. All the philosophizing and speaking about inner feelings (finding thus an outlet that surpasses social restraints & conventions) takes place in a floating cocoon, an egg, free from most earthly encumbrances. A tree house, quaintly enough. (In Modern Times the "strangers stuck in an elevator" device is an apt counterpart. In Classical terms, its represented by that plot-within-vessel, Huck Finn's gay ass raft.)
Tender, strange, it's about relationships as much as it is about aging and getting old. There's bottled-up homosexuality (like the fickle details of pastoral life including swimming nude in communal lakes) and a physical/emotional undressing of past costumes of the European Victorian persuasion in the good ole Great American South. Also, there is a surreal aspect to all the grownups playing childish games out in the deep green forest.
The central question here is: IS THE WORLD A BAD PLACE? This band of outsiders begins to delve into it, transforming "The Glass Harp" into a bittersweet fantasia/coming of Age in the South-yarn, that's nice & neat, with-a-cute-bow-on-top story, reminiscent of the plays of George B. Shaw.
Tender, strange, it's about relationships as much as it is about aging and getting old. There's bottled-up homosexuality (like the fickle details of pastoral life including swimming nude in communal lakes) and a physical/emotional undressing of past costumes of the European Victorian persuasion in the good ole Great American South. Also, there is a surreal aspect to all the grownups playing childish games out in the deep green forest.
The central question here is: IS THE WORLD A BAD PLACE? This band of outsiders begins to delve into it, transforming "The Glass Harp" into a bittersweet fantasia/coming of Age in the South-yarn, that's nice & neat, with-a-cute-bow-on-top story, reminiscent of the plays of George B. Shaw.
March 1, 2019
"We were friends, Dolly and Catherine and me. I was eleven, then I was sixteen. Though no honors came my way, those were the lovely years". Right away, we know we're in the hands of a master storyteller, who we can count on to take us to special places.
This book gave me four characters to add to my Literary Hall of Fame.
Riley Henderson: local bad boy with a heart of gold
Judge Charlie Cool: gracefully aging philosopher
Dolly Talbo: the embodiment of spirit and light
And my personal favorite, Catherine Creek, who never failed to tell it like it was whether you liked it or not.
The plot of this book just sounds downright silly if you try to describe it, but in Capote's hands becomes a tiny little masterpiece of prose, dialogue, and characterization that he weaves into a novel that was pure joy to read. I tried to slow down my reading to keep these people near me as long as possible. The tree house in the China Tree has now become my happy place to retreat to in times of stress.
I highlighted numerous sentences and paragraphs of this book, too numerous to list here. To say the dialogue sparkled is not a cliche, but a statement of fact, especially when it came from Catherine's lips. Even the peripheral characters were fun to get to know.
Truman Capote's earlier novels, this being one of them, seem to me to be his best work. There is a certain innocence that was lost as he got older and more jaded and cynical. In Cold Blood was brilliant, but that really can't be compared to anything else he wrote. The Grass Harp is my favorite, and I'm just sorry it took me so long to get to it.
This book gave me four characters to add to my Literary Hall of Fame.
Riley Henderson: local bad boy with a heart of gold
Judge Charlie Cool: gracefully aging philosopher
Dolly Talbo: the embodiment of spirit and light
And my personal favorite, Catherine Creek, who never failed to tell it like it was whether you liked it or not.
The plot of this book just sounds downright silly if you try to describe it, but in Capote's hands becomes a tiny little masterpiece of prose, dialogue, and characterization that he weaves into a novel that was pure joy to read. I tried to slow down my reading to keep these people near me as long as possible. The tree house in the China Tree has now become my happy place to retreat to in times of stress.
I highlighted numerous sentences and paragraphs of this book, too numerous to list here. To say the dialogue sparkled is not a cliche, but a statement of fact, especially when it came from Catherine's lips. Even the peripheral characters were fun to get to know.
Truman Capote's earlier novels, this being one of them, seem to me to be his best work. There is a certain innocence that was lost as he got older and more jaded and cynical. In Cold Blood was brilliant, but that really can't be compared to anything else he wrote. The Grass Harp is my favorite, and I'm just sorry it took me so long to get to it.
June 23, 2023
چنگ چمنزار داستانی ایست لطیف ، شیوا و روان نوشته ترومن کاپوتی نویسنده سرشناس آمریکایی . او در این کتاب او با توصیفاتی دقیق و زیبا، محیط و شخصیتهای داستان را توصیف کرده و خواننده را با خود به دنیایی از فرهنگ و زندگی در یک شهر کوچک میبرد.
فارغ از مفاهیمی که نویسنده به آنها پرداخته ، طبیعت آرام و دلنشین که ساخته توصیفات استادانه و شاعرانه نویسنده است را می توان مهمترین ویژگی داستان دانست . کاپوتی این گونه فضایی هم برای خواننده و هم برای کالین راوی داستان و هم برای کاراکترهای دیگر کتاب ، کاترین ودالی فراهم کرده تا در محیطی به دور از هیاهو و غوغای شهر و دور از تسلط فرد سلطه گر به تفکر ، تامل و خودشناسی بپردازند .
نویسنده شخصیت هایی متفاوت آفریده و زندگی آنها را قبل و بعد از نقطه عطف داستان یعنی درگیری در جنگل بیان کرده و این گونه به خواننده نشان داده که زندگی آنان پس از رفتن به جنگل است که با قبل از آن تفاوت پیدا کرده است .
در پایان کتاب چنگ چمنزار با ترجمه خوب آزاده مقدس ، اثری ایست شیرین ، جذاب و خواندنی ، با کاراکترهایی پرشور و سرسخت که روایتگر داستانی شده اند همانند آواز جنگ چمنزار که اوج می گیرد و روایت می کند .
فارغ از مفاهیمی که نویسنده به آنها پرداخته ، طبیعت آرام و دلنشین که ساخته توصیفات استادانه و شاعرانه نویسنده است را می توان مهمترین ویژگی داستان دانست . کاپوتی این گونه فضایی هم برای خواننده و هم برای کالین راوی داستان و هم برای کاراکترهای دیگر کتاب ، کاترین ودالی فراهم کرده تا در محیطی به دور از هیاهو و غوغای شهر و دور از تسلط فرد سلطه گر به تفکر ، تامل و خودشناسی بپردازند .
نویسنده شخصیت هایی متفاوت آفریده و زندگی آنها را قبل و بعد از نقطه عطف داستان یعنی درگیری در جنگل بیان کرده و این گونه به خواننده نشان داده که زندگی آنان پس از رفتن به جنگل است که با قبل از آن تفاوت پیدا کرده است .
در پایان کتاب چنگ چمنزار با ترجمه خوب آزاده مقدس ، اثری ایست شیرین ، جذاب و خواندنی ، با کاراکترهایی پرشور و سرسخت که روایتگر داستانی شده اند همانند آواز جنگ چمنزار که اوج می گیرد و روایت می کند .
December 20, 2020
The classic, The Grass Harp by Truman Capote, was a delightful and whimsical book about an orphan boy taken in by two eccentric elderly women in the deep south, as it gently explores what constitutes the bonds of family, loyalty and love. I loved the beautiful prose of this book, purported to be one of Truman Capote's favorites. It seemed to be autobiographical in many ways, and a touching story.
"Beyond the field begins the darkness of River Woods. . . Do you hear? that is the grass harp, always telling a story--it knows the stories of all the people on the hill, of all of the people who ever lived, and when we are dead, it will tell ours, too."
"But Catherine felt no love for the tree-house; she did not know, as Dolly knew and made me know, that it was a ship, that to sit up there was to sail along the cloudy coastline of every dream."
". . . . after she'd died, she sometimes heard his songs in the fields of the Indian grass. . . . But the wind is us--it gathers and remembers all our voices, then sends them talking and telling through the leaves and the fields--I've heard Papa clear as day."
". . . a spirit, someone not to be calculated by the eye alone. Spirits are accepters of life, they grant its differences--and consequently are always in trouble."
"Beyond the field begins the darkness of River Woods. . . Do you hear? that is the grass harp, always telling a story--it knows the stories of all the people on the hill, of all of the people who ever lived, and when we are dead, it will tell ours, too."
"But Catherine felt no love for the tree-house; she did not know, as Dolly knew and made me know, that it was a ship, that to sit up there was to sail along the cloudy coastline of every dream."
". . . . after she'd died, she sometimes heard his songs in the fields of the Indian grass. . . . But the wind is us--it gathers and remembers all our voices, then sends them talking and telling through the leaves and the fields--I've heard Papa clear as day."
". . . a spirit, someone not to be calculated by the eye alone. Spirits are accepters of life, they grant its differences--and consequently are always in trouble."
March 21, 2019
This is the perfect length for such a tightly warped tale. And the language itself is pure 5 star perfection.
Others have said it better in review. This joy, angst, sorrow, anger of rejections, acceptances to minor roles and limited capacities- Capote lets you know and feel what they are. And I loved too the age spans for doing these "eyes" too. From young children to the aged- personality lives inside these people to view and hear from these words they exchange.
The eyes are from a young man of 16 for most of the copy.
But it's the language itself that just triumphs over plot or outcome. Despite the anguish of oppositions, sadness of departures, pitiful health or wealth conditions etc. etc.- the words REMAIN positive and beautiful. The word order itself is often placed backwards to tensing and object features as it would in a Northern American declarative sentence. And in their speech and connections of conversations there is a unique placement of being in the "now" totally and completely. And exercising the joy to its fullness extent when found in what ever the "now" composes of itself.
Like a "bird trail bracelet" - you can follow the climb into the tree house.
Loved it. This is a second read, as I read it very long ago. Probably not much after it was written. And I like Verena and Catherine more now than when I was young. Both of them.
Others have said it better in review. This joy, angst, sorrow, anger of rejections, acceptances to minor roles and limited capacities- Capote lets you know and feel what they are. And I loved too the age spans for doing these "eyes" too. From young children to the aged- personality lives inside these people to view and hear from these words they exchange.
The eyes are from a young man of 16 for most of the copy.
But it's the language itself that just triumphs over plot or outcome. Despite the anguish of oppositions, sadness of departures, pitiful health or wealth conditions etc. etc.- the words REMAIN positive and beautiful. The word order itself is often placed backwards to tensing and object features as it would in a Northern American declarative sentence. And in their speech and connections of conversations there is a unique placement of being in the "now" totally and completely. And exercising the joy to its fullness extent when found in what ever the "now" composes of itself.
Like a "bird trail bracelet" - you can follow the climb into the tree house.
Loved it. This is a second read, as I read it very long ago. Probably not much after it was written. And I like Verena and Catherine more now than when I was young. Both of them.
September 17, 2018
L'Arpa d'erba è un romanzo dal potere fortemente evocativo, quieto e allo stesso tempo tumultuoso.
Queste distese rosse di campi di saggina, quest'erba verde e tenera che si muove sotto la carezza del vento, queste parole così delicate, poetiche e allo stesso tempo capaci di scuotere l'animo, stanno lì, come incise sul tronco di un albero di sicomoro, per ricordare agli uomini che crescere non è mai indolore, perché è sempre un processo che strappa ad una vita per portare in un'altra.
Collin, orfano affidato alle cure di due anziane cugine, rievoca l'estate dei suoi sedici anni, trascorsa in parte sulla grande casa aerea nel bosco «simile a una zattera che galleggiasse su un mare di foglie», quella in cui si confronta (e si scontra) con la vita, fino a comprendere che troppo spesso L'Arpa d'erba è il suono dei ricordi, delle voci e dei sapori che vengono dal passato, struggente e malinconico come una vecchia fotografia, capace però, al tempo stesso, di dare serenità e far brillare come in uno specchio il riflesso delle nostre vite trascorse.
«Stiamo parlando di amore. Una foglia, una foglia, una manciata di semi...Comincia con queste cose, impara che cosa sia amare. Prima una foglia o uno scroscio di pioggia...poi qualcuno per ricevere ciò che una foglia ti ha insegnato, ciò che uno scroscio di pioggia ha fatto maturare. Non è un processo facile, intendimi; potrebbe richiedere una intera vita, come è accaduto a me. Eppure non sono mai riuscito a padroneggiarlo. So soltanto questo: che l'amore è una catena di amore, come la natura è una catena di vita.»
"Solo" quattro stelle perché le emozioni provate con Colazione da Tiffany sono un'altra cosa.
Queste distese rosse di campi di saggina, quest'erba verde e tenera che si muove sotto la carezza del vento, queste parole così delicate, poetiche e allo stesso tempo capaci di scuotere l'animo, stanno lì, come incise sul tronco di un albero di sicomoro, per ricordare agli uomini che crescere non è mai indolore, perché è sempre un processo che strappa ad una vita per portare in un'altra.
Collin, orfano affidato alle cure di due anziane cugine, rievoca l'estate dei suoi sedici anni, trascorsa in parte sulla grande casa aerea nel bosco «simile a una zattera che galleggiasse su un mare di foglie», quella in cui si confronta (e si scontra) con la vita, fino a comprendere che troppo spesso L'Arpa d'erba è il suono dei ricordi, delle voci e dei sapori che vengono dal passato, struggente e malinconico come una vecchia fotografia, capace però, al tempo stesso, di dare serenità e far brillare come in uno specchio il riflesso delle nostre vite trascorse.
«Stiamo parlando di amore. Una foglia, una foglia, una manciata di semi...Comincia con queste cose, impara che cosa sia amare. Prima una foglia o uno scroscio di pioggia...poi qualcuno per ricevere ciò che una foglia ti ha insegnato, ciò che uno scroscio di pioggia ha fatto maturare. Non è un processo facile, intendimi; potrebbe richiedere una intera vita, come è accaduto a me. Eppure non sono mai riuscito a padroneggiarlo. So soltanto questo: che l'amore è una catena di amore, come la natura è una catena di vita.»
"Solo" quattro stelle perché le emozioni provate con Colazione da Tiffany sono un'altra cosa.
October 30, 2022
4.5
Those were the lovely years…
The narrator of the story is an orphaned boy who lives with his two elderly aunts and recounts his memories of adventures and misadventures during his adolescence.
Do you hear? that is the grass harp, always telling a story—it knows the stories of all the people on the hill, of all the people who ever lived, and when we are dead it will tell ours, too.
Those were the lovely years…
The narrator of the story is an orphaned boy who lives with his two elderly aunts and recounts his memories of adventures and misadventures during his adolescence.
Do you hear? that is the grass harp, always telling a story—it knows the stories of all the people on the hill, of all the people who ever lived, and when we are dead it will tell ours, too.
July 13, 2016
Este livrinho que parece que não ter grande história nem nada de marcante a acontecer, é um dos exemplos que me levam a dizer que estes são mesmo os melhores livros; os que mais nos tocam o coração e já deixam saudades antes do virar da última página.
Numa escrita melodiosa e muitas vezes divertida, Truman Capote escreveu uma história de gente inadaptada que clama pelo seu direito à liberdade de escolha, ao direito de se afirmar pelas suas diferenças, e que exige ser ouvida e respeitada de uma maneira muito original.
Gente frágil, gente renegada, gente genuína que nos surpreende e comove pela inesperada ousadia e firmeza.
Numa escrita melodiosa e muitas vezes divertida, Truman Capote escreveu uma história de gente inadaptada que clama pelo seu direito à liberdade de escolha, ao direito de se afirmar pelas suas diferenças, e que exige ser ouvida e respeitada de uma maneira muito original.
Gente frágil, gente renegada, gente genuína que nos surpreende e comove pela inesperada ousadia e firmeza.
August 21, 2022
Эта повесть о доброте. Трое главных героев, пожилые Долли Тальбо, Кэтрин Крик и подросток Коллин Фенвик, кажутся чудаками, даже жители городка называют их "тронувшимися". Действительно, дружба двух женщин за 60 лет, белой и черной, с мальчиком, кажется невероятной. Это может быть, когда люди молоды душой, искренни, когда деньги не застилают им глаза и когда им интересен мир, как таковой. Долли даже признается:"я боюсь, что я напугаю людей, если вдруг они увидят, как они мне интересны, что я в самом деле думаю о них.' Ее интерес и забота о почтальонше так напугал ее, что она издали швыряла почту. Долли была близка к природе, могла предсказать бурю, урожайность фигового дерева, отыскать грибное место или найти гнездо фазана.
Эта повесть и о достоинстве. Долли не дала себя обдурить, а вот прожженная в делах ее сестра Верина, державшая в руках весь город, была ограблена проходимцем Морисом Ритцем, обчистившим ее сейф.
Долли на попреки сестры после неудавшейся попытк�� выведать рецепт снадобья от водянки, доставшегося ей от цыганки, имела достоинство уйти из дома. Как истинная хозяйка города, Верина натравливает шерифа, кризис разрастается и заканчивается только после ранения Ралли и ареста Кэтрин.
Дерево становится символом приюта для всех отверженных города - это судья Кул, кого изощрённо выгнали сыновья с их кентуккскими женами, поделив дом пополам и позволив жить попеременно у каждого сыновей по графику и Ралли, сирота, но который имел характер защищать свои права, свое наследство и кормивший себя и своих сестер браконьерством. Судья Кул - тоже чудак. Он несколько лет переписывался с девочкой из Аляски и чувствовал себя подростком. Судья задаёт важные вопросы: почему люди не разговаривают? что есть любовь? "Мы говорим о любви. Лист, горсть семян – начните с них, и вы познаете, что значит любить. Сначала просто лист, просто дождь, затем должен появиться кто-нибудь, кто узнал бы от тебя ту тайну, что рассказал тебе тот лист… тот дождь… Это совсем не легкий процесс, познать это… может, потребуется вся жизнь – как у меня, и все равно у меня не получилось: я лишь знаю теперь правило этой премудрости – любовь – это цепочка из колечек симпатий и привязанностей, так же, как и природа, это цепочка из множества…"
Эпизод с сестрой Айдой и пастором Бастером показывает истинные личины хозяев города и истинную доброту отверженных чудаков, у которых деньги - совсем не главное в жизни. Капоте в ходе повествования вскрывает расовые противоречия и нравы "нормальных" людей.
Эта повесть и о достоинстве. Долли не дала себя обдурить, а вот прожженная в делах ее сестра Верина, державшая в руках весь город, была ограблена проходимцем Морисом Ритцем, обчистившим ее сейф.
Долли на попреки сестры после неудавшейся попытк�� выведать рецепт снадобья от водянки, доставшегося ей от цыганки, имела достоинство уйти из дома. Как истинная хозяйка города, Верина натравливает шерифа, кризис разрастается и заканчивается только после ранения Ралли и ареста Кэтрин.
Дерево становится символом приюта для всех отверженных города - это судья Кул, кого изощрённо выгнали сыновья с их кентуккскими женами, поделив дом пополам и позволив жить попеременно у каждого сыновей по графику и Ралли, сирота, но который имел характер защищать свои права, свое наследство и кормивший себя и своих сестер браконьерством. Судья Кул - тоже чудак. Он несколько лет переписывался с девочкой из Аляски и чувствовал себя подростком. Судья задаёт важные вопросы: почему люди не разговаривают? что есть любовь? "Мы говорим о любви. Лист, горсть семян – начните с них, и вы познаете, что значит любить. Сначала просто лист, просто дождь, затем должен появиться кто-нибудь, кто узнал бы от тебя ту тайну, что рассказал тебе тот лист… тот дождь… Это совсем не легкий процесс, познать это… может, потребуется вся жизнь – как у меня, и все равно у меня не получилось: я лишь знаю теперь правило этой премудрости – любовь – это цепочка из колечек симпатий и привязанностей, так же, как и природа, это цепочка из множества…"
Эпизод с сестрой Айдой и пастором Бастером показывает истинные личины хозяев города и истинную доброту отверженных чудаков, у которых деньги - совсем не главное в жизни. Капоте в ходе повествования вскрывает расовые противоречия и нравы "нормальных" людей.
April 8, 2019
I found this to be a reflective story on mortality and the meaning of life. As Collin, 16 years old, stops to listen to the Indian grass whispering in the wind, below the cemetery on the hill, his 60-year-old cousin, Dolly, with whom he lives, tells him it is the grass harp telling the stories of those who are dead. The tone of the novel is nostalgic as Collin is looking back on an autumn when he, Dolly, and Catherine commandeered a treehouse in opposition to Dolly’s sister, Verena’s desire to monetize Dolly’s herbal concoction for dropsy. The first line, “When was it that first I heard of the grass harp?” Speaking of bygone days, a perhaps more idyllic time surrounded by our loves, or in Collin’s case, his two older lady cousins, Dolly and Verena, who take him in after his mother’s death. His father dies in a car accident a few days after his mother's death.
Oh, I do love the treehouse! Hanging between earth and sky, it’s the perfect place for transitions, a little bliss. We could call it the tree of life if we wanted to. The men of the town, including the Sherrif and Reverend Buster, spurred on by Verena, come to the treehouse to try and coax Dolly out of the tree. Judge Cool accompanies them but ends up taking their part, and on offer of a drumstick, joins them in their leafy abode. A comedic slapstick of events sees the townsfolk tucking tail. In the betwixt and between place of the treehouse, the Judge proffers the most tender words of wisdom,
"“It may be that there is no place for any of us. Except we know there is, somewhere; and if we found it, but lived there only a moment, we could count ourselves blessed. This could be your place,” he said, shivering as though in the sky spreading wings had cast a cold shade. “And mine.”"
Finding a place, one's own place, is closely entwined with finding our own unique meaning of life. A rich and meaningful coming of age story I particularly enjoyed, because it mixed Collin’s youth with the richness of the Judge and Dolly’s life experiences. The Judge speaks eloquently of love; his words a reassurance that the search for life's meaning never ends. Having only read In Cold Blood by this author, it was nice to hear Capote’s southern voice expressed in a different way.
Oh, I do love the treehouse! Hanging between earth and sky, it’s the perfect place for transitions, a little bliss. We could call it the tree of life if we wanted to. The men of the town, including the Sherrif and Reverend Buster, spurred on by Verena, come to the treehouse to try and coax Dolly out of the tree. Judge Cool accompanies them but ends up taking their part, and on offer of a drumstick, joins them in their leafy abode. A comedic slapstick of events sees the townsfolk tucking tail. In the betwixt and between place of the treehouse, the Judge proffers the most tender words of wisdom,
"“It may be that there is no place for any of us. Except we know there is, somewhere; and if we found it, but lived there only a moment, we could count ourselves blessed. This could be your place,” he said, shivering as though in the sky spreading wings had cast a cold shade. “And mine.”"
Finding a place, one's own place, is closely entwined with finding our own unique meaning of life. A rich and meaningful coming of age story I particularly enjoyed, because it mixed Collin’s youth with the richness of the Judge and Dolly’s life experiences. The Judge speaks eloquently of love; his words a reassurance that the search for life's meaning never ends. Having only read In Cold Blood by this author, it was nice to hear Capote’s southern voice expressed in a different way.
November 13, 2019
Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for this, but I felt I had to plow through it, even though it’s novella length. One of my issues came early on, with the inhabitants of the tree each taking a turn “center stage” to give what felt like monologues. Besides the differences in the individual stories, I didn’t find much to differentiate the voices, though perhaps that’s due to the first-person narrator who’s looking back.
I appreciated the “roughness” of some of the material, no shying away from the casual racism of the time, though not much is made of it either.
An editor recently described a piece I’d written as sepia-tinged. She didn’t mean it negatively, but it wasn’t what I was going for. I think “sepia-tinged” is what Capote was going for and perhaps it’s just my preference doesn’t run in that direction.
I appreciated the “roughness” of some of the material, no shying away from the casual racism of the time, though not much is made of it either.
An editor recently described a piece I’d written as sepia-tinged. She didn’t mean it negatively, but it wasn’t what I was going for. I think “sepia-tinged” is what Capote was going for and perhaps it’s just my preference doesn’t run in that direction.
July 19, 2015
This is the first novel by Truman Capote that I've read and I'm really not sure why it took me so long to do so. Maybe it was his eccentric public persona and the old tabloid stories, especially from the Studio 54 days. (I still picture him in a back room with Liza Minelli with a purple fedora on his head and a coke spoon up his nose.)
Anyhow, I'm glad I got past all of that because I absolutely loved this short novel. It's a character-driven story with very little plot, but brightly imaginative phrases sparkle on every page and the prose is so lush that it kept me fully invested throughout.
The heart of the novel concerns a small group of eccentric misfits who temporarily take refuge from society in an old tree house. This part of the novel feels like a play with lots of great dialogue. Discussing their sorrows and feelings of alienation, the characters eventually forge a common bond and open up to each other.
"But ah, the energy we spend hiding from one another, afraid as we are of being identified. But here we are, identified: five fools in a tree. A great piece of luck provided we know how to use it: no longer any need to worry about the picture we present - free to find out who we truly are. ... I've in the past surrendered myself to strangers - men who disappeared down the gangplank, got off at the next station. Put together, maybe they would've made the one person in the world to whom everything can be said - but there he is with a dozen different faces moving down a hundred separate streets. This is my chance to find that man - you are him, Miss Dolly, Riley, all of you."
The story also expands outward to paint an imaginatively detailed and highly evocative portrait of post-Great Depression life in a small Alabama town. At times, aside from the differences in location and era, it strongly reminded me of Winesburg, Ohio. Although, to me, Capote's writing style is even better than Anderson's - more about "showing", less about "telling". The mood is also lighter and more humorous. More inspired, less despairing.
For me, this was the perfection introduction to Truman Capote and it left me excited to read the rest of his work.
Anyhow, I'm glad I got past all of that because I absolutely loved this short novel. It's a character-driven story with very little plot, but brightly imaginative phrases sparkle on every page and the prose is so lush that it kept me fully invested throughout.
The heart of the novel concerns a small group of eccentric misfits who temporarily take refuge from society in an old tree house. This part of the novel feels like a play with lots of great dialogue. Discussing their sorrows and feelings of alienation, the characters eventually forge a common bond and open up to each other.
"But ah, the energy we spend hiding from one another, afraid as we are of being identified. But here we are, identified: five fools in a tree. A great piece of luck provided we know how to use it: no longer any need to worry about the picture we present - free to find out who we truly are. ... I've in the past surrendered myself to strangers - men who disappeared down the gangplank, got off at the next station. Put together, maybe they would've made the one person in the world to whom everything can be said - but there he is with a dozen different faces moving down a hundred separate streets. This is my chance to find that man - you are him, Miss Dolly, Riley, all of you."
The story also expands outward to paint an imaginatively detailed and highly evocative portrait of post-Great Depression life in a small Alabama town. At times, aside from the differences in location and era, it strongly reminded me of Winesburg, Ohio. Although, to me, Capote's writing style is even better than Anderson's - more about "showing", less about "telling". The mood is also lighter and more humorous. More inspired, less despairing.
For me, this was the perfection introduction to Truman Capote and it left me excited to read the rest of his work.
May 17, 2016
Lieve e avvolgente come un tenero abbraccio, questo romanzo riecheggia le voci di un passato di affetti in una natura agreste che, attraverso la scrittura magica, raffinata e lirica di Capote, acquista toni di fiaba e si colora di tratti sorprendentemente vividi e intensi.
Suoni, odori, immagini, sapori...mitiche atmosfere e presenze: il tutto nell'arco di un’avventura ingenua e improbabile, intrapresa per muta ribellione alla meschinità e temerariamente osata in spregio ad ogni minaccia o prepotenza.
Chi ha amato l’affascinante Holly di “Colazione da Tiffany” non potrà che essere conquistato dalla dolce Dolly di “L’arpa d’erba”: una piccola donna un po’ bizzarra ormai avanti negli anni, ma intimamente fresca e spontanea come un’adolescente.
Di lei si innamora ogni anima candida, ogni spirito assetato di bontà e di sincerità. Con lei si colora l’esistenza di quanti sanno riconoscere nel suo quieto riserbo l’incredibile generosità del suo darsi agli altri.
E per lei ci sarà sempre un posto privilegiato nei cuori di chi l’ha amata: il giovane Collin, protagonista narrante, che in lei trova il calore di una famiglia e la voglia di credere nei propri sogni; il vecchio giudice Cool, che mutuando da lei l’entusiasmo dei suoi verdi anni, disquisisce sull’amore e sul senso della vita; la nera-indiana Catherine, l'amica di sempre e fedele protettrice, che farfuglia assennate sentenze incomprensibili ai più a causa dei batuffoli di cotone che tiene in bocca per riempire il vuoto lasciato dai denti...
Personaggi adorabili, tratteggiati con incisività e soave ironia, che si collocano in una dimensione intermedia tra realtà e immaginazione, ma risultano vivi e umanissimi, imprimendosi indelebilmente nella memoria del lettore.
Una bellissima storia soffusa di malinconia, ma anche di gioia e di speranza.
Suoni, odori, immagini, sapori...mitiche atmosfere e presenze: il tutto nell'arco di un’avventura ingenua e improbabile, intrapresa per muta ribellione alla meschinità e temerariamente osata in spregio ad ogni minaccia o prepotenza.
Chi ha amato l’affascinante Holly di “Colazione da Tiffany” non potrà che essere conquistato dalla dolce Dolly di “L’arpa d’erba”: una piccola donna un po’ bizzarra ormai avanti negli anni, ma intimamente fresca e spontanea come un’adolescente.
Di lei si innamora ogni anima candida, ogni spirito assetato di bontà e di sincerità. Con lei si colora l’esistenza di quanti sanno riconoscere nel suo quieto riserbo l’incredibile generosità del suo darsi agli altri.
E per lei ci sarà sempre un posto privilegiato nei cuori di chi l’ha amata: il giovane Collin, protagonista narrante, che in lei trova il calore di una famiglia e la voglia di credere nei propri sogni; il vecchio giudice Cool, che mutuando da lei l’entusiasmo dei suoi verdi anni, disquisisce sull’amore e sul senso della vita; la nera-indiana Catherine, l'amica di sempre e fedele protettrice, che farfuglia assennate sentenze incomprensibili ai più a causa dei batuffoli di cotone che tiene in bocca per riempire il vuoto lasciato dai denti...
Personaggi adorabili, tratteggiati con incisività e soave ironia, che si collocano in una dimensione intermedia tra realtà e immaginazione, ma risultano vivi e umanissimi, imprimendosi indelebilmente nella memoria del lettore.
Una bellissima storia soffusa di malinconia, ma anche di gioia e di speranza.
December 5, 2018
” Ho Ietto che il passato e il futuro sono una spirale, ogni giro della quale contiene il seguente e ne annuncia il tema. Forse è così: ma la mia vita mi è sembrata più che altro una serie di circoli chiusi, di anelli che non si svolgono con la libertà di una spirale: per me passare dall'uno all'altro ha sempre comportato un salto, non una transizione inavvertita. Soprattutto mi turba quell'attimo di quiete in cui non si sa ancora dove il salto ci condurrà.”
In un paesino del profondo Sud degli Stati Uniti, dove la dolcezza dei paesaggi naturali stride con l’asprezza dei pregiudizi umani, l’undicenne Collin Fenwick, rimasto orfano, viene affidato alle cure di due cugine: Verena e Dolly.
Due donne molto differenti tra loro tanto da essere due nature opposte: la prima razionale ed algida amministra il cospicuo patrimonio di famiglia; la seconda, Dolly, invece, non esce mai di casa e sembra perdersi in una dimensione fantastica dove la realtà è circoscritta alla cucina e alla sua camera rosa. Anche il mondo delle relazioni per Dolly è limitato a Catherine, la domestica ed unica amica a cui si affida dall’infanzia.
Un Colin adulto rievoca la sua vita in questa casa dove convivono figure femminili così differenti,
Furono anni felici anche perché Colin proveniva da una famiglia in cui dominavano le assenze (questo tratto è palesemente autobiografico) ed è soprattutto il calore di Catherine e Dolly a nutrirlo dell’Amore necessario nella crescita.
Una storia che ci parla di spazi che possono essere rivendicati, di differenze che possono ritrovare dignità sollevando la testa: liberi di scoprire chi siamo in realtà.
Una storia che ci indica come l’ottusità delle persone sia misera cosa di fronte alla forza dell’Amore.
Truman è un pittore della parola: ferma sulla carta immagini di paesaggi dai colori intensi.
Panorami di cui percepiamo l’origine autobiografica proprio perché talmente vividi da non poter essere un’esclusiva del mondo fantastico e con una colonna sonora
Una natura, però, che non è muta e la sua musica è diretta da un’arpa d’erba che registra i suoni e li riproduce, un'arpa di voci che ricorda una storia.
” Dolly sorrise e si lisciò la lunga sottana; raggi filtrati dalle foglie le disegnarono sulle dita anelli di sole. «Ho mai avuto una possibilità di scelta? Ecco che cosa voglio: scegliere. Sapere che avrei potuto avere un'altra vita, imperniata su decisioni prese esclusivamente da me. Questo mi rappacificherebbe, davvero.»
In un paesino del profondo Sud degli Stati Uniti, dove la dolcezza dei paesaggi naturali stride con l’asprezza dei pregiudizi umani, l’undicenne Collin Fenwick, rimasto orfano, viene affidato alle cure di due cugine: Verena e Dolly.
Due donne molto differenti tra loro tanto da essere due nature opposte: la prima razionale ed algida amministra il cospicuo patrimonio di famiglia; la seconda, Dolly, invece, non esce mai di casa e sembra perdersi in una dimensione fantastica dove la realtà è circoscritta alla cucina e alla sua camera rosa. Anche il mondo delle relazioni per Dolly è limitato a Catherine, la domestica ed unica amica a cui si affida dall’infanzia.
Un Colin adulto rievoca la sua vita in questa casa dove convivono figure femminili così differenti,
Furono anni felici anche perché Colin proveniva da una famiglia in cui dominavano le assenze (questo tratto è palesemente autobiografico) ed è soprattutto il calore di Catherine e Dolly a nutrirlo dell’Amore necessario nella crescita.
Una storia che ci parla di spazi che possono essere rivendicati, di differenze che possono ritrovare dignità sollevando la testa: liberi di scoprire chi siamo in realtà.
Una storia che ci indica come l’ottusità delle persone sia misera cosa di fronte alla forza dell’Amore.
Truman è un pittore della parola: ferma sulla carta immagini di paesaggi dai colori intensi.
Panorami di cui percepiamo l’origine autobiografica proprio perché talmente vividi da non poter essere un’esclusiva del mondo fantastico e con una colonna sonora
Una natura, però, che non è muta e la sua musica è diretta da un’arpa d’erba che registra i suoni e li riproduce, un'arpa di voci che ricorda una storia.
” Dolly sorrise e si lisciò la lunga sottana; raggi filtrati dalle foglie le disegnarono sulle dita anelli di sole. «Ho mai avuto una possibilità di scelta? Ecco che cosa voglio: scegliere. Sapere che avrei potuto avere un'altra vita, imperniata su decisioni prese esclusivamente da me. Questo mi rappacificherebbe, davvero.»
March 5, 2019
3.5 ★
Read
January 13, 2022"Li algures que o passado e o futuro formam uma espiral em que cada volta do parafuso contém a seguinte e prediz o respetivo tema. Talvez assim seja; a minha vida, porém, tem-se assemelhado mais a uma série de círculos fechados, anéis que não evoluem com a liberdade de uma espiral; para mim, passar de um para outro tem implicado um salto, não um suave deslizar. O que me debilita é a calmaria entre dois saltos, o compasso de espera antes de perceber para onde me devo lançar."
146
Filho de pais divorciados, Truman Capote passou a sua infância saltitando de casa em casa de familiares, do Luisiana ao Alabama.
Embora não prosseguindo para estudos superiores, Capote (cujo nome se deve a um segundo casamento da mãe com um senhor de nome Joseph Garcia Capote) chama a atenção, logo em 1945, com a publicação de um primeiro conto intitulado "Miriam". Nos anos que se seguem a carreira como escritor dispara e, algures entre os primeiros trabalhos e o acalmado Breakfast at Tiffany's, o autor publica A Harpa de Ervas.
Conhecido conterrâneo e amigo de Harper Lee, viria a ser descrito por ela de forma magistral logo nas primeiras páginas da obra prima "Mataram a cotovia":
"Foi nesse ano que conhecemos Dill (...) Sentado, ele não seria
muito maior do que as couves. Ficámos a olhar para ele até que ele
disse:
— Olá!
— Olá p’a ti tam’ém — disse o Jem educadamente.
— Chamo-me Charles Baker Harris — disse ele. — E sei ler.
— Sim, e depois? — retorquiu o Jem.
— Pensei que gostassem de saber que sei ler. Se quiserem qu’eu
leia qualquer coisa, é só dizer…"
Criado no Alabama, é a cargo de três primas e um primo, os mesmos que já haviam criado sua mãe, que Capote crescerá. Profundamente grato a Sook Faulk, entre todos a prima apatetata e infantil que lhe servia de companheira - e que serviu de inspiração para algumas memoráveis personagens em diversos dos seus escritos, Capote nunca verdadeiramente ultrapassará a sensação de abandono que marca estes primeiros anos.
Talvez por isso, talvez pela separação forçada de Sook quando a mãe, de regresso recentemente casada o reclama para si levando-o para Manhattan (será aí que Capote cultivará a imagem algo boémia e pop art que o marca aos nossos olhos); talvez por ambas as razões e outras mais, a felicidade na obra de Capote está profundamente marcada pela perda. Não é diferente o que sucede em A Harpa de Ervas.
Mas, para lá disso, há um quê de acolhedor na sua prosa, à imagem de tanta outra prosa sulista. Welty, Mccullers, Lee, Capote... a todos une uma nostalgia, uma capacidade de se autorretratarem de forma isenta, em que o elemento telúrico e o místico se fundem.
A ternura típica da pena de Capote impregna esta narrativa ("de desadaptados", dizem), narrativa espirituosa e elaborada como um de vários passados e futuros possíveis e paralelos com os quais Capote sempre se debateu.
"(...) um homem que não sonha é como um homem que nao transpira; acumula imenso veneno dentro de si."
127
146
Filho de pais divorciados, Truman Capote passou a sua infância saltitando de casa em casa de familiares, do Luisiana ao Alabama.
Embora não prosseguindo para estudos superiores, Capote (cujo nome se deve a um segundo casamento da mãe com um senhor de nome Joseph Garcia Capote) chama a atenção, logo em 1945, com a publicação de um primeiro conto intitulado "Miriam". Nos anos que se seguem a carreira como escritor dispara e, algures entre os primeiros trabalhos e o acalmado Breakfast at Tiffany's, o autor publica A Harpa de Ervas.
Conhecido conterrâneo e amigo de Harper Lee, viria a ser descrito por ela de forma magistral logo nas primeiras páginas da obra prima "Mataram a cotovia":
"Foi nesse ano que conhecemos Dill (...) Sentado, ele não seria
muito maior do que as couves. Ficámos a olhar para ele até que ele
disse:
— Olá!
— Olá p’a ti tam’ém — disse o Jem educadamente.
— Chamo-me Charles Baker Harris — disse ele. — E sei ler.
— Sim, e depois? — retorquiu o Jem.
— Pensei que gostassem de saber que sei ler. Se quiserem qu’eu
leia qualquer coisa, é só dizer…"
Criado no Alabama, é a cargo de três primas e um primo, os mesmos que já haviam criado sua mãe, que Capote crescerá. Profundamente grato a Sook Faulk, entre todos a prima apatetata e infantil que lhe servia de companheira - e que serviu de inspiração para algumas memoráveis personagens em diversos dos seus escritos, Capote nunca verdadeiramente ultrapassará a sensação de abandono que marca estes primeiros anos.
Talvez por isso, talvez pela separação forçada de Sook quando a mãe, de regresso recentemente casada o reclama para si levando-o para Manhattan (será aí que Capote cultivará a imagem algo boémia e pop art que o marca aos nossos olhos); talvez por ambas as razões e outras mais, a felicidade na obra de Capote está profundamente marcada pela perda. Não é diferente o que sucede em A Harpa de Ervas.
Mas, para lá disso, há um quê de acolhedor na sua prosa, à imagem de tanta outra prosa sulista. Welty, Mccullers, Lee, Capote... a todos une uma nostalgia, uma capacidade de se autorretratarem de forma isenta, em que o elemento telúrico e o místico se fundem.
A ternura típica da pena de Capote impregna esta narrativa ("de desadaptados", dizem), narrativa espirituosa e elaborada como um de vários passados e futuros possíveis e paralelos com os quais Capote sempre se debateu.
"(...) um homem que não sonha é como um homem que nao transpira; acumula imenso veneno dentro de si."
127
Want to read
June 10, 2023Recommended by Paulo Faria
November 22, 2014
In less than 100 pages Capote has created such a rich and complex, yet straight-forward and simple book it’s hard to know where to begin commenting about it. I’m trying to come up with anything, ANYTHING he does wrong here and I come up blank. CHARACTER? Each is vividly distinct, no matter the length of their appearance in the book. Though a movie exists, I have no desire to see it and have those characters replace Capote’s in my head. SETTING? Well, can I just say that Capote was a “sensory” master and his imagery seems effortless? PLOT? The Grass Harp has the pull and charm of a children’s story. After the death of his mother, a young boy is taken to live with two bewildering spinster aunts who eventually have a falling out and one of them runs away to live in a tree-house which results in a small town partitioning itself with one sister or the other.
And then there’s the word choice, sentence structure, dialogue, imagery, etc. all marvelous, marvelous, marvelous, marvelous.
If you like or love Capote and have not read this, by all means do, please do. However, if of you have only read in “In Cold Blood” and/or “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” your thoughts must shift to Capote’s southern roots and his warm, but emotional and conflicted heart, for conflict is rife in this book as is it is in life. And, don’t we all long for a tree-house, a raft, a grass harp to carry us through?
And then there’s the word choice, sentence structure, dialogue, imagery, etc. all marvelous, marvelous, marvelous, marvelous.
If you like or love Capote and have not read this, by all means do, please do. However, if of you have only read in “In Cold Blood” and/or “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” your thoughts must shift to Capote’s southern roots and his warm, but emotional and conflicted heart, for conflict is rife in this book as is it is in life. And, don’t we all long for a tree-house, a raft, a grass harp to carry us through?
December 2, 2021
(review in English below)
4,5*
Fui ficando cada vez mais encantada com este livro à medida que progredia na leitura.
Adoro ouvir tocar harpa e, na verdade, a escrita de Capote nesta obra fez-me por vezes lembrar esses sons com uma qualidade quase mágica, tal a sua habilidade para descrever ambientes, situações e sentimentos através de comparações e metáforas lindíssimas e originais.
Os personagens são todos interessantes e bem caracterizados, e a história é invulgar, ternurenta e divertida ao mesmo tempo.
Vou seguramente ler outros livros do autor.
Recomendo sem reservas!
4.5 stars
I became more and more enchanted by this book as I read it.
I love hearing someone playing the harp and, in fact, Capote's writing reminded me of those sounds, with their almost magical quality, such is his skill to describe ambiences, situations and feelings through beautiful and original comparisons and metaphors.
All the characters are interesting and well delineated, and the story is unusual, endearing and amusing at the same time.
I will surely read other books by this author.
Recommended all the way!
4,5*
Fui ficando cada vez mais encantada com este livro à medida que progredia na leitura.
Adoro ouvir tocar harpa e, na verdade, a escrita de Capote nesta obra fez-me por vezes lembrar esses sons com uma qualidade quase mágica, tal a sua habilidade para descrever ambientes, situações e sentimentos através de comparações e metáforas lindíssimas e originais.
Os personagens são todos interessantes e bem caracterizados, e a história é invulgar, ternurenta e divertida ao mesmo tempo.
Vou seguramente ler outros livros do autor.
Recomendo sem reservas!
4.5 stars
I became more and more enchanted by this book as I read it.
I love hearing someone playing the harp and, in fact, Capote's writing reminded me of those sounds, with their almost magical quality, such is his skill to describe ambiences, situations and feelings through beautiful and original comparisons and metaphors.
All the characters are interesting and well delineated, and the story is unusual, endearing and amusing at the same time.
I will surely read other books by this author.
Recommended all the way!
March 12, 2016
A beautiful tribute to southern spinsters raising a child, Capote writes so evocatively of the South he knew growing up.
November 1, 2014
The Grass Harp - In the beginning of this story it made me think of To Kill A Mockingbird. That's not surprising, I suppose. It's in about the same time frame in a similar setting. And, after all, Truman Capote and Harper Lee knew one another as children.
The writing is so good, so sublime. Capote was a master. The story is charming; seemingly fictional and truthful at the same time. It moves through what seems like carefully constructed phases, each part or chapter of the book perfectly leading to the next. After the climax, -the big ruckus at the tree house and the reconciliation of the sisters- after that, the final chapter, the wrap-up, the epilogue; it seemed to go on too long. That's my only complaint, and it's not a great one.
When something is so well written that its almost-perfectness can't be even be seen, to be pointed at, I guess it's easier to see where perhaps it's not perfect.
I haven't read a lot of Truman Capote - just his most well known things. I think maybe The Grass Harp is the best I've read. It puts him, in my mind, in the same league with any of the best American authors.
The writing is so good, so sublime. Capote was a master. The story is charming; seemingly fictional and truthful at the same time. It moves through what seems like carefully constructed phases, each part or chapter of the book perfectly leading to the next. After the climax, -the big ruckus at the tree house and the reconciliation of the sisters- after that, the final chapter, the wrap-up, the epilogue; it seemed to go on too long. That's my only complaint, and it's not a great one.
When something is so well written that its almost-perfectness can't be even be seen, to be pointed at, I guess it's easier to see where perhaps it's not perfect.
I haven't read a lot of Truman Capote - just his most well known things. I think maybe The Grass Harp is the best I've read. It puts him, in my mind, in the same league with any of the best American authors.
June 21, 2021
Dopo Colazione da Tiffany. L'edizione ufficiale del cinquantesimo anniversario e
A sangue freddo ho completato Capote con questo racconto lungo , un libro di poche pagine ma tanto contenuto. Dolcissimo.
A sangue freddo ho completato Capote con questo racconto lungo , un libro di poche pagine ma tanto contenuto. Dolcissimo.
March 19, 2020
Reviewed in collection The Grass Harp, Including A Tree of Night and Other Stories.
November 28, 2017
Tiffany'de Kahvaltı'dan sonra okuduğum ikinci Truman Capote kitabı. Birkaç haftalık zorunlu aradan sonra basit ama güzel bir şeyler okumak istemiştim, aklıma Capote geldi, doğru bir tercih de yapmışım, tam olarak istediğim tarzda bir kitaptı Çimen Türküsü.
Roman, annesi ve babasını kaybeden Collin'in yanlarına gönderildiği 2 yaşlı kadın akrabalarıyla geçen yılları anlatıyor. Esas karakterimiz Collin olsa da, biz daha çok ketum abla Verena ile onun küçüğü naif Dolly'nin ilişkisini ve onların hizmetçisi Catherine'i görüyoruz. Yine, aynı zamanda bir kasaba hikâyesi bu. Unutulmuş, zamanın dışında kalmış, sadece kendisiyle var olan, sıkı ahlak duygusuyla kenetlenmiş bu kasabanın hikâyenin içinde önemli bir yeri olduğunu düşünüyorum.
Hikâyenin esas olayı ise, ablasının aşağılamalarına alınan Dolly, Catherine ve Collin'in bir gün evi terk edip bir ağaç evde yaşamaya başları ve bu tuhaf ekibin zamanla çoğalması, Verena ve kasabayla giriştiği kavga. Dolly'nin malın mülkün sahibi ablasına karşı giriştiği, kendisine biçilen hayata karşı çıktığı bu isyan ilgi çekici. 60 yaşında birinin tüm hayatı boyunca yaptığı şeylerin değerini sorgulaması, aslında değersiz olduğunu düşünmesi yıkıcı olsa gerek. Kitabın içerisinde geçen "bir insan bütün hayatı boyunca bir ev için yaşıyorsa o ev onun hakkıdır," minvalindeki cümle de bu perspektifte anlamlı görünüyor. İleride ise Verena'nın Dolly'ye "Hiç denizi görmedin, sana denizi göstereyim," dediğinde Dolly reddetme gerekçesi olarak, tüm hayatının gözüne küçük görüneceğinden korktuğunu söylüyor. Sıradan insanın 20'li yaşlarındaki fikirlerini hayatının sonuna kadar koruması, daha açık ifade etmek gerekirse "hiç yanılmaması" bu sebeple oluyor.
Kitaptaki diğer ilginç şey ise kapitalist kölelik zinciri, Morris Ritz, Verena, Dolly, Catherine şeklinde gidiyor bu zincir.
Kitabın bir arkadaşlık havasındaki zaman zaman şairane, zaman zaman şakacı tavrı keyifli bir okuma fırsatı veriyor. Çimen Türküsü naif insanların hikâyesi. Hayatınızı değiştirecek bir kitap değil, ama keyifli zaman geçirmenizi ve karakterlerini sevmenizi sağlayacaktır.
Roman, annesi ve babasını kaybeden Collin'in yanlarına gönderildiği 2 yaşlı kadın akrabalarıyla geçen yılları anlatıyor. Esas karakterimiz Collin olsa da, biz daha çok ketum abla Verena ile onun küçüğü naif Dolly'nin ilişkisini ve onların hizmetçisi Catherine'i görüyoruz. Yine, aynı zamanda bir kasaba hikâyesi bu. Unutulmuş, zamanın dışında kalmış, sadece kendisiyle var olan, sıkı ahlak duygusuyla kenetlenmiş bu kasabanın hikâyenin içinde önemli bir yeri olduğunu düşünüyorum.
Hikâyenin esas olayı ise, ablasının aşağılamalarına alınan Dolly, Catherine ve Collin'in bir gün evi terk edip bir ağaç evde yaşamaya başları ve bu tuhaf ekibin zamanla çoğalması, Verena ve kasabayla giriştiği kavga. Dolly'nin malın mülkün sahibi ablasına karşı giriştiği, kendisine biçilen hayata karşı çıktığı bu isyan ilgi çekici. 60 yaşında birinin tüm hayatı boyunca yaptığı şeylerin değerini sorgulaması, aslında değersiz olduğunu düşünmesi yıkıcı olsa gerek. Kitabın içerisinde geçen "bir insan bütün hayatı boyunca bir ev için yaşıyorsa o ev onun hakkıdır," minvalindeki cümle de bu perspektifte anlamlı görünüyor. İleride ise Verena'nın Dolly'ye "Hiç denizi görmedin, sana denizi göstereyim," dediğinde Dolly reddetme gerekçesi olarak, tüm hayatının gözüne küçük görüneceğinden korktuğunu söylüyor. Sıradan insanın 20'li yaşlarındaki fikirlerini hayatının sonuna kadar koruması, daha açık ifade etmek gerekirse "hiç yanılmaması" bu sebeple oluyor.
Kitaptaki diğer ilginç şey ise kapitalist kölelik zinciri, Morris Ritz, Verena, Dolly, Catherine şeklinde gidiyor bu zincir.
Kitabın bir arkadaşlık havasındaki zaman zaman şairane, zaman zaman şakacı tavrı keyifli bir okuma fırsatı veriyor. Çimen Türküsü naif insanların hikâyesi. Hayatınızı değiştirecek bir kitap değil, ama keyifli zaman geçirmenizi ve karakterlerini sevmenizi sağlayacaktır.
March 1, 2012
Oggi ho deciso di dedicare qualche secondo a questo libro, letto un po' di tempo fa, perché un mio alunno parlandomene ne ha vivificato il ricordo.
Dolly sorrise e si lisciò la lunga sottana; raggi filtrati dalle foglie le disegnarono sulle dita anelli di sole. «Ho mai avuto una possibilità di scelta? Ecco che cosa voglio: scegliere. Sapere che avrei potuto avere un’altra vita, imperniata su decisioni prese esclusivamente da me. Questo mi rappacificherebbe, davvero.»
Questo brano tratto da L'arpa d'erba è uno dei miei preferiti e per certi versi rappresenta il tema della storia. Questo romanzo di formazione si basa sulle scelte e la voglia di crescere. Il giovane Colin, alla morte dei genitori, viene affidato a due zie: Verena e Dolly. La prima austera e fredda, la seconda aggraziata, infantile e semplice. Il conflitto fra le due sorelle scoppierà per una questione economica e il ragazzo si troverà a fuggire con Dolly e Cathrine, altro improbabile, assurdo e meraviglioso personaggio partorito da Capote. La loro base sarà una casa su un albero e da lì in poi, non si tornerà più indietro: avverrà una rivoluzione emotiva, legata proprio all'idea di scegliere, di dire dei NO, di crescere accettando di far soffrire chi, a modo suo, ci ama.
"L'arpa d'erba" è la dolce collina verde, che al vento crea onde come un oceano d'erba, foriere di storie e di racconti di ciascun abitante.
E' singolare pensare che proprio il mio studente, molto giovane, abbia colto appieno il simbolo che questa collina rappresenta: essa apre e chiude il libro, perché è l'emblema stesso della narrazione, della scrittura e della letteratura. Storie, sempre storie...
Dolly sorrise e si lisciò la lunga sottana; raggi filtrati dalle foglie le disegnarono sulle dita anelli di sole. «Ho mai avuto una possibilità di scelta? Ecco che cosa voglio: scegliere. Sapere che avrei potuto avere un’altra vita, imperniata su decisioni prese esclusivamente da me. Questo mi rappacificherebbe, davvero.»
Questo brano tratto da L'arpa d'erba è uno dei miei preferiti e per certi versi rappresenta il tema della storia. Questo romanzo di formazione si basa sulle scelte e la voglia di crescere. Il giovane Colin, alla morte dei genitori, viene affidato a due zie: Verena e Dolly. La prima austera e fredda, la seconda aggraziata, infantile e semplice. Il conflitto fra le due sorelle scoppierà per una questione economica e il ragazzo si troverà a fuggire con Dolly e Cathrine, altro improbabile, assurdo e meraviglioso personaggio partorito da Capote. La loro base sarà una casa su un albero e da lì in poi, non si tornerà più indietro: avverrà una rivoluzione emotiva, legata proprio all'idea di scegliere, di dire dei NO, di crescere accettando di far soffrire chi, a modo suo, ci ama.
"L'arpa d'erba" è la dolce collina verde, che al vento crea onde come un oceano d'erba, foriere di storie e di racconti di ciascun abitante.
E' singolare pensare che proprio il mio studente, molto giovane, abbia colto appieno il simbolo che questa collina rappresenta: essa apre e chiude il libro, perché è l'emblema stesso della narrazione, della scrittura e della letteratura. Storie, sempre storie...
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