{"product_id":"oh-serafina-a-fable-of-ecology-lunacy-and-love-paperback","title":"Oh, Serafina!: A Fable of Ecology, Lunacy, and Love - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGiuseppe Berto\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eGregory Conti\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eMatteo Gilebbi\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHeir to the FIBA button factory in Lombardy, Augustus is profiting from Italy's postwar industrial boom. Yet the dreamy young man is far from your stereotypical industrialist. He is less interested in making money than in talking to the birds in the surrounding garden and in making love to a beautiful factory worker named Palmira. But when the money-hungry Palmira schemes to have him institutionalized, Augustus finds a new love among his fellow mental patients: flute-playing flower child Serafina. Can Augustus and Serafina find a way to break free and express their love of each other and of nature in this crazy world? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Newly translated into English, Giuseppe Berto's charming 1973 novel \u003ci\u003eOh, Serafina! \u003c\/i\u003ewas one of the first works of Italian literature to deal with ecological themes while also questioning the destructive effects of industrial capitalism, the many forms spirituality might take, and the ways our society defines madness. This translation includes a foreword from literary scholar Matteo Gilebbi that provides biographical, historical, and philosophical context for appreciating this whimsical fable of ecology, lunacy, and love. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGIUSEPPE BERTO (1914-1978) was born in a small town in Veneto, Italy, and went on to author numerous screenplays, short stories, and novels, including \u003ci\u003eThe Sky Is Red\u003c\/i\u003e, written during his time as a P. O. W. in Texas. A controversial author in postwar Italy, Berto was nevertheless the recipient of the Viareggio Prize and the Campiello Prize, and his work has drawn more critical attention in recent years. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e GREGORY CONTI has over twenty-five published translations, including works by Emilio Lussu, Rosetta Loy, and Paolo Rumiz. His most recent translations include two books by Stefano Mancuso: \u003ci\u003e The Incredible Journey of Plants \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Nation of Plants\u003c\/i\u003e. He has lived in Perugia, Italy, since 1985. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 140\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.38 x 8.06 x 5.07 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 11, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51765321138464,"sku":"9781978835740","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/980e00ebbad8f45b266e329ed7ebfc0b.webp?v=1780266317","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/oh-serafina-a-fable-of-ecology-lunacy-and-love-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}