Report on The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi

The book was presented by Denise.

Present: Barb, Maggie, Mariannick, Pat, Rosie, Wendy, Denise Excused:Betsy, Katharine, Murielle, Sealia

Denise began by saying that she had read the book a third time to put it in chronological order. She asked for one word from each of us that would choose to put on the book’s cover like the critics. Rosie was the first, with the word “Complicated.” Other suggestions were “génial,” “stimulating,” “excellent style,” “original,” “intriguing.”

Denise said that there was not much information available about the author. He was born in Florence in 1959 like Marco, and he lives in Rome. He trained as architect. There is a France Culture interview with him:

https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/la-grande-table-culture/sandro-veronesi-architecte-de-nos-vies-8580148

In the interview he says that he exported what he knows about construction into his writing. We agreed that the novel crosses borders and mixes styles. It won an important literary prize, the Premio Strega. He has published a number of different works. The first was a collection of poetry that came out when he was 25. He has written non-fiction, including a study of the death penalty. His novels deal with the theme of family and father-child relations (he has 5 children). He creates a portrait of society.

We asked why the story is built the way it is, switching back and forth in time and including different kinds of writing.  We agreed that when one thinks about one’s own life, memories are not in chronological order.

In the France Inter interview, the author said that Marco’s life is a battle, a tragic life. He’s always the witness of the actions that concern others. For Veronesi literature is a place of discovery; it makes the imagination real. 

Question - how does the novel’s non-linearity (chronologically speaking) influence your understanding of the story. What’s the logic? 

Pat noted that it made reading difficult but interesting. Mariannick admired the originality in the mix of genres, besides straight narration, there were telephone calls, letters, and lists, 

The time frame would be less difficult for those who get the historical references, and the chapters are dated chapters, so that we are given some kind of temporal orientation. 

Wendy thought that the lack of linear chronology was sometimes used for suspense, for example with Irene’s suicide. We know something tragic has happened to the family, but we don’t get the details until later in the novel. We also don’t know Giacomo’s motive for his absence until the end. Since it’s not a first person narrative—the narrator is omniscient—we can’t make the case for the novel following Marco’s memories. The narrator is manipulating time, and manipulating us. Is it just for the sake of creating a modernist aesthetic?

Pat felt there was a thematic ordering, each letter adds something to ideas developed in other chapters. Barb commented that the novel’s saving grace is that it’s relatively short. Or rather the chapters are short. Some of us found the furniture list boring. The railway chapter was also mentioned as tedious, though perhaps for Italians it would be interesting.

We discussed the question of translation. Wendy couldn’t help thinking that it must be much more beautiful in Italian. And there are cultural references that non-Italians would miss. Pat read the Italian version and she pointed out that at the end of the opening chapter there is a phrase about sea. It comes back in the penultimate chapter. Since it’s a well known phrase in Italian (and therefore used somewhat ironically) the effect in English is not quite the same.

In a way, this would be true of most of the references, to places, events and cultural artefacts from Italian life. The pleasure of recognition is denied to those outside the culture. Some of the references are explained in the Acknowledgements. Those who read Still Life would get the reference to Probo having been a Mud Angel. Comparing the two novels, we see that Sarah Winman had to give a lot of explanations that Veronesi didn’t.

We discussed some of the characters, beginning with Marco. He is nicknamed the Hummingbird. According to Luisa, he stands still when everything is moving around him. But we didn’t think that was quite true. We weren’t convinced by the aptness of the name. After all, he organises the plane trip that he and his friend escaped from. He moves houses. Although things do happen to him, he changes his life in response. One reviewer says Marco is blind, ironically for an ophthalmologist. He doesn’t see his parents’ problems; he doesn’t understand about Giaccomo. Perhaps rather than blind, the word should be blinkered. Is he passive? We weren’t convinced. After all, he’s a doctor and a caring man. It’s refreshing to find a portrayal of a nurturing man. He’s also motivated by guilt in his dealings with people and his own behaviour. He feels responsible for Irene, for his betrayal of Duccio (the Omen), for his gambling. Does he gamble, as he says at the end, in order to degrade himself and punish himself. The discussion raised other motives like the thrill—the “fever” he says—or as a rebellion against his bourgeois life.

We were intrigued by Adele - her belief in the string attached to her is original, and the psychiatrist’s interpretation is important in the plot. Then there’s irony in the climbing accident that disposes of her when the string breaks.

Luisa is both unattainable and idealised . Marco never has to deal with the day-to-day Luisa. All the other women in Marco’s life are crazy. Why is she in Paris, someone asked. The family moved to Paris because of the political violence in Italy at the time. We compared the “chaste” lovers to medieval couples like Dante and Beatrice—they want to experience a pure love from afar. 

Carridori is important. ..even if he doesn’t intervene often in the character’s life. He is a kind of Angel. He saves Marco’s life and then what happens to Marco makes him change his life. He gives good advice like “put on your oxygen mask first.” In other words, take care of yourself, so you can take care of others.

Finally we wondered who would be the ideal reader of this novel. Wendy suggested an Italian man like the author. But the group didn’t agree. After all female readers are in the majority when it comes to psychologically oriented novels like this. We found it interesting to read about a man’s family life for a change.