Plinio Martini: A Classic of Ticino Literature
Published: Tuesday, Aug 1st 2023, 10:40
Actualizado el: Viernes, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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Plinio Martini (1923-1979) was a Tessin author who wrote about the experience of migration. His novel "Nicht Anfang und nicht Ende" (1970) tells the story of Gori, a Tessiner who emigrates to the USA to escape poverty, only to find himself longing for his home village of Cavergno. The novel is being re-released to mark the 100th anniversary of Martini's birth. Martini was born in Cavergno in 1923, the son of a baker. He attended seminary in Locarno and worked as a teacher in various villages. His works set out to challenge the stereotype of Switzerland as a wealthy country, and instead depict the poverty and hardship of life in the Tessin valleys. His novel "Nicht Anfang und nicht Ende" tells the story of Gori, who returns to his home village after 17 years in the USA. He finds himself torn between his longing for the wide open spaces of America and the oppressive mountains of his home. The novel is a timeless and highly relevant story of the experience of immigrants and refugees, and serves as a reminder that Switzerland was not always a wealthy country. In addition to his novels, Martini wrote poetry, which is collected in the volume "E in ogni crepa dorme una lucertola. Und in jeder Ritze schläft eine Eidechse" (Caracol Verlag, 2019). His works are characterised by deep melancholy, restrained anger and sorrow, and reveal both the poet and the public figure who took a critical stance on the development of the Tessin valleys.
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