We Are Family

Description

A new masterpiece of imagination and amusement by one of Italy's most beloved humorists. Al Santamaria is a child prodigy. He may be the greatest genius of the 20th century; it is he who will save the human race - right after he solves a far more urgent problem: finding a home for his family. He lives, like all his peers, somewhere between reality and fantasyland, enjoying time with imaginary friends and wielding magical powers. He has a wonderful relationship with his father Mario Elvis and his mother Agnese, and he feels he belongs to the best family in the world. For the Santamaria family life is not always easy. Through Al's eyes, readers glimpse what has become, over the last forty years, the Italian way of life, suspended between the desire for redemption and illusions of greatness, flummoxed before the inability to fully believe in one's dreams. Despite all the difficulties and the potentially disastrous outcomes Al won't give up. He builds his own world step by step, helped by his sister Vittoria and with the energy and the talents typical of people his age. And his talents are endless: he doesn't know it yet, but he'll be a child for the rest of his life.

Fabio Bartolomei was born and lives in Rome. He's a writer and screenwriter. His first novel, Alfa Romeo 1300 and Other Miracles (Europa, 2012), and later made into the film Noi e la Giulia. In 2013 he won the Gran Premio delle Lettrici di Elle for We Are Family. His other novels are La Banda Degli Invisibili (2012) and Lezioni in Paradiso (2014). He teaches creative writing. Antony Shugaar's translations for Europa Editions include For Grace Received by Valeria Parrella, Everybody's Right by Paolo Sorrentino, Fabio Bartolomei's Alfa Romeo 1300 and Other Miracles, and Margherita Dolce Vita by Stefano Benni.

Praise for We Are Family "Fabio Bartolomei's We Are Family is an extended, guffaw-inducing, and sometimes tragic trip through Al's young life. It reads like an Italian sitcom."--Forward Reviews "We are Family proves the ability of the author to create a plot shot through with the richness of Italian comedy and bright irony." --Silvana Mazzocchi, La Repubblica "An amazing novel: it'll move you and make you laugh." --Cristina De Stefano, Elle Praise for Alfa Romeo 1300 and Other Miracles "An entertaining and humorous debut." --La Repubblica "A melancholy yet hopeful fable told with a smile." --Internazionale "Bartolomei's style is swift and immensely readable." --Flaneri "Alfa Romeo 1300 and Other Miracles left the kind of smile on my face that doesn't go unnoticed and which people often mistake for a kind of facial paralysis...Bartolomei is attentive to the proper rhythm of a story, the proper way to reveal plot, to what is and is not the right word in the right place, all of which produced exactly the right effect on this reader." --Valentina Aversano, Setteperuno