This month’s Calvino Book Club title, where we’re prompted by the A Plunge Into Calvino podcast to read a specific work by Italo Calvino, is an interesting one for a number of reasons. Called “The Watcher”, it’s a long short story/novella of 73 pages (of smallish type!), here translated by William Weaver and it was first published in 1963. It’s a book linked to the realism which featured in his early works, although it’s clear at this point that he was moving away from that. The story is not that readily available; it appeared in a volume with two other stories, “Smog” and “The Argentine Ant”, in a US edition but I’m not sure if it’s currently available in this country. However, it’s definitely worth tracking down as there’s much to chew over after reading it…
The watcher of the title is one Amerigo, a young man who’s a member of the Communist Party. Post-War Italy is apparently opening up a little bit, with the chokehold of the Catholic Church being shaken a little. Elections are open to all, and although the old habits die hard, all of the parties are taking them seriously. Watchers from all parties go along to polling centres to supervise the voting and make sure all the correct procedures are followed. This is Amerigo’s role, but the location of the polling is rather unusual.
Cottolengo, also known as Turin’s ‘Hospital for Incurables’, is described as an asylum; having existed on the site for a long time, it houses all manner of human beings who can’t fit into normal everyday society and who are cared for by nuns. As the voting has been widened to include all citizens of Italy, those incarcerated in Cottolengo are also allowed to take part in the polls if they are deemed capable of understanding what’s being asked of them. So Amerigo and his equals from the other parties observe the process and try to make a value judgement as to whether the various participants really know what they’re doing.
And it has to be said that the whole situation has him frankly questioning the meaning of life and what it is to be a human. “Watcher” is a difficult book to read in some ways, as the people living in Cottolengo, who have various disabilities, are described in terms we would not use nowadays. It’s undeniable that people have issues of mental health, or physical restrictions, but our discussion of them nowadays is hopefully more sensitive. Amerigo describes in stark terms what he sees and is led to wonder how far inclusivity should go in our search to involve all in democratic processes. What are the dividing lines which should be drawn when deciding who is capable of understanding and who is not? Is it better to segregate those who can’t cope with everyday society, keeping them in safe surroundings where they might be better off?
“The Watcher” asks hard questions to which there are not obvious answers; and although nowadays we often try to integrate the disadvantaged into mainstream society, it has to be wondered how well people can cope with this. Certainly, in the education sector, I’ve seen children really struggling to deal with mainstream schooling and then flourishing in a specialist setting – it’s very difficult to know what’s best. Amerigo’s mood swings as he contemplates the process around him send him down some difficult routes, and Calvino’s writing style is quite different from usual as he captures those thought processes in long, often complex and lyrical sentences. His temperament is not helped by the complexities of his relationship with his current girlfriend, Lia; their communication is often poor, riddled with misunderstandings and it seems that in the mainstream world it is as hard to find meaning between human beings as it can be in Cottolengo.
It was a hidden Italy that filed through that room, the reverse of the Italy that flaunts itself in the sun, that walks the streets, that demands, produces, consumes; this was the secret of families and of villages, it was also (but not only) rural poverty with its debased blood, its incestuous couplings in the darkness of the stables, the desperate Piedmont which always clings to the efficient, severe Piedmont, it was also (but not only) the end of all races when their plasm sums up all the forgotten evils of unknown predecessors, the pox concealed like a guilty thing, drunkenness the only paradise (but not only that, not that alone), it was the mistake risked by the material of human race each time it reproduces itself, the risk (predictable, for that matter, on a calculable basis, like the outcome of games of chance) which is multiplied by the number of the new snares: the viruses, poisons, uranium radiation… the random element that governs human generation which is called human precisely because it occurs at random….
The world of Cottolengo itself is a fascinating creation, almost analogous with some of Calvino’s fantastic creations in his other fictions, particularly “Invisible Cities”. Here, he paints a place where the troubled can be cared for, kept safe from harm and given some kind of meaningful life. The question running through the book is one of agency; how much do the residents have, how much real understanding of the everyday life outside the walls of their world, and how much should they be involved in it. I don’t know that the book has an answer to that – we never learn the results of the election, and Amerigo doesn’t seem to come up with a solution – but “The Watcher” certainly provides much food for thought.
Although I know I’ve read this story before, it must have been pre-blog and I could recall nothing about it. However, I found it a fascinating and stimulating story, with some lovely writing and some really thought-provoking concepts being explored. The terminology *is* old-fashioned (and I can remember when we spoke like this) although, having said that, this might just reflect the character’s view and not necessarily that of the author himself. That’s by the by, really; I’m just glad to have been prompted into picking up another lesser-known Calvino and finding it as brilliant as his other writings. Can’t wait to see what the title is next month! 😀
Calmgrove
Apr 29, 2024 @ 10:25:51
Knowing how much or little (or not at all) the narrator’s words reflect the author’s opinions is ever a tricky issue, as is the notion of whether the narrator is giving a reliable account. And the language used is itself an issue, of course, but also a striking indication of how much has changed even in our own lifetimes. But sensitive readers like you (and me?) will know where the dividing lines are. 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
Apr 29, 2024 @ 16:09:38
It is, and from what I think I know about Calvino, I can’t imagine him being insensitive or intolerant. The language is very much of its time, but I suspect it reflects the attitude of the character and indeed many of the populace of the time. We would be more sensitive nowadays, although the debate about how involved troubled citizens need to be with the politics of everyday life is probably still just as relevant.
Margot Kinberg
Apr 29, 2024 @ 12:09:29
This does sound like one of those stories that needs to be digested. Trust Calvino to create layers on layers like that. And the topic is certainly timely! In case anyone’s interested, it is available in the US.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Apr 29, 2024 @ 16:00:17
It is, Margot. i’m still thinking about it. It has so many different elements to explore, and although there are issues he’s discussing, he also writes so beautifully. Very good to know it’s available in the US! 😀
heavenali
May 01, 2024 @ 17:18:16
So glad you were able to track this down for the Calvino book club. It sounds very thought provoking, tackling some big subjects for such a relatively short book.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 20:26:08
It does deal with some big issues, definitely – and ones which can be uncomfortable at times. Always impressed when an author can deal with so much in a slim volume!
Marcie McCauley
May 13, 2024 @ 19:28:21
I wonder if the idea of what’s hidden and the desire to truly ‘know’ and ‘understand’ actually lurks in all of his writing as it seems to in this slim volume (at least, based on the quotation). Even though I’ve only read a few (three, I think?), I could see that being put forward as a theme for all of them, in slightly different ways.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 13, 2024 @ 20:13:25
You know, that’s a good point – he’s always trying to work things out, even up to his last book, Mr. Palomar!