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The Story of San Michele reviews
The Story of San Michele Review by "bijucu" (freeville, ny United States)
Eighty or ninety years ago, Axel Munthe was a famous doctor.He left behind a few modest and charming reminiscences, of which "The story of the San Michele" is, in my opinion, the most interesting.
The writer deliberately leaves outsides large zones of his existence; he only highlights those pertaining to his work.
The unity of this book in which memories mingle according to his fancy, is achieved through the presence of two underlying motifs: his love for the nature of the south and the battle against death.
A cholera epedemic in Naples, an earthquake in Messina, anywhere a doctor is needed, Munthe is present.
Even in his passion for archeology, gathering ancient statues and coins, building in Capri a new home from the fragments of an illustrious past - with the architecture inspired by dreams rather than mathematics - his spirit finds a new way of celebrating the beauty of life.
The book is filled with vivid and unforgettable portraits (don Antonio the priest; Maria Porta-Lettere the messenger; Rozalia, the caretaker; Mamsell Agata, the housekeeper with the putrid smile of Lazarus; Norstrom, his friend; Madame Requin, the delinquent midwife; Arcangelo Fusco, the sweeper; the Countess and the Viscount Maurice; John, the child who never laughed - and a lot many others.
But the most interesting character is the doctor himself - because of the special quality of his humanity.
The Story of San Michele Review by James Paris "Tarnmoor" (Los Angeles, CA USA)
I came to this strange and wonderful book without the slightest inkling of what it was about -- simply because it was in the recommended reading for many guidebooks about Italy. First and foremost, it is an autobiography of a great physician and animal lover who just happened to spend some years of his life on Capri.Autobiographies can make for strange reading, especially when there are obvious omissions. Although Axel Munthe frequently accuses himself of being a ladies' man, there is no mention of any love interest by name or even generic description. (That reminds me of film director Josef von Sternberg's FUN IN A CHINESE LAUNDRY, where we learn in passing that the author was married because of a cryptic mention in a subordinate clause 300 pages into the book.) Also missing is any mention of Munthe's childhood, although I understand there is at least one other autobiography written by him (MEMORIES AND VAGARIES), which I have not read.
There is, however, one section that does not appear in any autobiography that I have ever seen: An anticipation of Munthe's Last Judgment in Heaven following his death, with St. Peter, Moses, Athanasius, and St. Francis joining in the discussion.
STORY OF SAN MICHELE ranges from Paris to Lapland, Rome, Naples, Calabria, and Capri. We see duels, medical cases of wealthy women with imaginary diseases, demonic housekeepers, quacks, midwives, prostitutes, victims of cholera and earthquakes, brigands, shamans, and even an alcoholic ape. Munthe is a magnificent raconteur, and his book is a joy to read and reread.
The Story of San Michele Review by
I was introduced to this charming book by my mother over 30 years ago, and have in turn introduced it to my wife and daughter. It has gone through hundreds of editions in countless languages and is still being read by those lucky enough to discover it.
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The Story of San Michele::Description
This 'dream-laden and spooked' (Marina Warner, London Review of Books) story is to many one of the best-loved books of the twentieth century. Munthe spent many years working as a doctor in Southern Italy, labouring unstintingly during typhus, cholera and earthquake disasters. It was during this period that he came across the ruined Tiberian villa of San Michele, perched high above the glittering Bay of Naples on Capri. With the help of Mastro Nicola and his three sons, and with only a charcoal sketch roughly drawn on a garden wall to guide them, Munthe devoted himself to rebuilding the house and chapel. Over five long summers they toiled under a sapphire-blue sky, their mad-cap project leading them to buried skeletons and ancient coins, and to hilarious encounters with a rich cast of vividly-drawn villagers. The Story of San Michele reverberates with the mesmerising hum of a long, hot Italian summer. Peopled with unforgettable characters, it is as brilliantly enjoyable and readable today as it was upon first publication. The book quickly became an international bestseller and has now been translated into more than 30 languages; it is today an established classic, and sales number in the millions.
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