Other freedoms
Other freedoms (original title: Altri libertini ) is the debut novel by Pier Vittorio Tondelli , which was published in 1980 by Feltrinelli . The work was published in German by Rowohlt in 1990, translated by Christoph Klimke and Rüdiger Oetke.
The novel is an expression of a disillusioned, visionless youth who reflects the attitude towards life of the late 1970s : the disappointment, the search for a better world without becoming politically active, the lack of prospects and the refuge in excessive drug abuse.
In six stories of different lengths, which are not subject to a common history, but still form a thematic unit, the focus is on the experiences of young outsiders in society in the 1970s around and in Bologna . Only minimally integrated into the bourgeois world of industrial and consumer society, the lives of young people are characterized by constant restlessness and mobility, alcohol , other drugs and travel as a means of escaping from the dreary everyday life, which is too often a feeling of inner Emptiness and disorientation is determined. They get the money for drugs through prostitution , dealing and doing odd jobs. They hitchhike, occupy houses and lead a life in the present. The ideals of the '68 are no longer relevant to them; they do not protest or accuse anyone. In search of security and love, the protagonists plunge into often homosexual relationships and adventures; various sexual practices are described in detail. In addition to the subject of previously taboo subjects, the narrative style of the novel also contradicts conventional literary conventions.
The Italy of the 1970s and 1980s years is characterized by numerous social changes. During this time, young people in particular begin to orientate themselves towards new values and alternative ways of life. Individuality, freedom, equality and tolerance are the buzzwords of a youth culture that no longer wants to submit to state authority. In the search for cultural role models and artistic inspiration, the young people are particularly helped by the rapid development of the mass media , which has given American rock and pop culture an unprecedented level of importance. At this time Pier Vittorio Tondelli's Altri Libertini was published, a novel whose content and narrative style were so innovative and taboo for its time that it was banned just a few weeks after its publication.
In Other Freedoms , Tondelli recognizes and processes the influence of the new media , as well as the zeitgeist of his generation, and tells of the experiences of disillusioned young people who express the attitude towards life of the late 1970s. Tondelli does not use any scientific convention to expound his concerns in Altri Libertini , his intention is not to reach the masses or to convince the critics of his abilities. He does something more important: he arouses feelings. Feelings especially of those who know and therefore understand the milieu he describes. This is achieved, among other things, through a multi-layered network of intermedia references, which on the one hand refer to the countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, and on the other hand to the historical avant-garde and thus help the novel to gain a strong reference to reality. This closeness to reality is further enhanced by the use of real names, place names and company names.
literature
- Sandra Siegert: From the scandal towards the silence. Paths in the work of Pier Vittorio Tondellis Meidenbauer, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-89975-037-3 .
- Enrico Minardi: Pier Vittorio Tondelli Ed. Cadmo, Firenze 2003, ISBN 88-7923-285-1 .