Introduction to the author of "Italian Literature·Vaenko Pratolini Medello" | Content summary | Appreciation of works

Introduction to the author Vaanco Pratori Ni, Italian contemporary writer. Born in Florence in 1913 into a working class family. His childhood and adolescence were spent during the difficult years of World War I and fascist rule. Due to his poor family background, he dropped out of school at the age of nine to make a living and worked in various occupations such as an elevator worker, a typesetter, and a store apprentice. The difficult situation did not make him lose his ideals in life. From a young age, he studied voraciously and wanted to be a writer in the future. Therefore, after a tiring day, he often ignores rest and studies hard on his own, or goes to the university to audit courses. Overwork and a life of starvation caused him to suffer from lung disease. Entering society prematurely and experiencing hardship gave him a deep experience of the lives, emotions and aspirations of lower-class workers, providing him with rich material for his creations. Pratorini's literary career began in the late 1930s. In the 1940s, he published a number of works that gained him fame in the Italian literary world: such as "Via Magaccini" (1941), "Girlfriends" (1943) and "The Neighborhood" (1945). Secondly After World War I, Pratorini taught at the Naples Academy of Art, but his main focus was still on literary creation. In 1947, he published two works: "Family Chronicle" and "The Suffering Couple". " was a great success. Pratorini's important representative works are the first part of the "Italian History" trilogy "Metro" (1955), the second "Luxury" (1960), and the third "History of Italy". "Metaphor and Irony" (1966). Among the three works, "Metro" is the greatest achievement. It marks a new peak in Pratorini's writing art with its unique observation. For his unique angles, new artistic techniques and distinctive characters, he won one of Italy's most prestigious literary awards - the Viareggio Prize.

Summary of contents Metro Salani is an orphan. He was born in Florence, but he had never lived there before he was 15. His father, Caco, was a sand miner and an apostle in his early years. He admired Bakunin's mother very much. She was an angelic and gentle woman. She died when she was giving birth to Metro. The death of his wife and the birth of his youngest son changed Caco's life. He gave up drinking and sent his son to a foster care in the countryside thirty kilometers away. In the house of a farmer named Tinay, he worked hard all day to earn money to support his son. Soon, Kakko drowned in the Arno River when his boat capsized while salvaging sand and gravel. Later, the kind-hearted old man Tinay adopted the poor orphan Metro. Since then, Metro has lived in the country for a long time, living as a member of the family like the four children of the wet nurse. He lived a poor but carefree life until he was 15 years old. In 1887, when he was 15 years old, due to successive years of poor harvests, the farmer's life became increasingly poor. He had no choice but to leave his hometown due to exploitation and oppression, and took his family to work as a miner in Belgium, leaving Metro with two elderly people at home. From that day on, Metro's beautiful memories became blurred, and his carefree boyhood ended. So, on the night when his adoptive father and his family left, Medello ran away and ran to his hometown, his birthplace, Florence. However, what awaited him was not the warm embrace of his hometown, but hunger. In order to fill his stomach, he had to work as a porter, and his hourly wages were one cent less than others. At the same time, Metro quickly met two old friends of his father's lifetime, two innocent people. * Beto and Pestelli. Beto couldn't bear to let his old friend's son work in the market. He suggested that Metro choose a proper profession, so he worked as a bricklayer. For more than ten hours, as a "little worker", his hourly wages were pitifully low. Beto not only cared about Metro's work and life, but also cared about Metro's cultural studies. He teaches Metro to read and write every day. The smart Metro soon learned to sign, write letters, and recite large sections of articles very fluently. Beto was a kind-hearted man, but he was also an alcoholic. Get drunk every night. Metro, who has never met his father, already regards Beto as his father. Every night he would carry Beto home drunk. Late one night, Beto suddenly disappeared after he failed to return home after drinking. Metro asked around anxiously and searched in many ways, but he was nowhere to be found. Later, he had to go to the prison to inquire about Beto's whereabouts. But unexpectedly, he was caught by the guards and taken to prison. This is his first time in jail. While in prison, he had the good fortune to get acquainted with a young mason named Kailini. From Caerini's mouth, he heard for the first time new terms such as "socialism", "equality", "pay according to work", and "socialist party". In particular, Chiellini's words: "The more competent you become professionally, the more you will understand that you are an exploited person." He was greatly shocked. After two days in jail, Metro continued to work as a mason in order to get rid of police surveillance as soon as possible. But Beto completely disappeared.

At this time, Metro discovered that the number of anarchists was getting smaller and smaller, while the ranks of socialists were gradually expanding and increasingly attracting the attention of the police. In the practice of life, Metro used his simple eyes to see the fundamental difference between anarchism and socialism. He discovered that socialism has its own leader, its own clear program of action and goals of struggle. He also witnessed with his own eyes the indomitable struggle of the socialists to increase workers' wages and reduce workers' labor intensity. So, with a strong desire, he joined the work of the socialists. He often read progressive theoretical and literary books and periodicals, and attended meetings held by socialists. Although he has not officially joined the Socialist Party, he has grown from an ordinary poor worker to a socialist who still retains anarchist ideas. By 1898, conflicts between labor and capital were becoming increasingly tense. Food prices have skyrocketed again and again, but workers' wages remain at the level of ten years ago. This prompted large numbers of hungry workers to take to the streets in demonstrations. It was for participating in this demonstration that Metro and many other colleagues were arrested by the police and thrown into cells. This is his second time in jail. During this period, he developed a passionate love with Elsilia, the daughter of a worker who often came to visit him. Elsilia is a beautiful, enthusiastic, and kind-hearted girl who sympathizes with and supports Metro's struggle. After Metro was released from prison on January 5, 1900, they got married and established a happy and warm family. Two lives behind bars tempered Metro's will and allowed him to grow up in struggle. He joined the Socialist Party. On April 4, 1910, a Masons' Congress was held in a theater in Rome, attended by 1,750 masons. This is an unprecedentedly grand conference. The meeting focused on issues such as how to protect workers' actual income. On May 14, 1902, the labor-capital conflict that had never been alleviated reached its extreme. The workers demanded higher wages, while the capitalists refused to negotiate, leading to a 46-day mason strike that began on May 15. This is the most difficult struggle. During those unforgettable 46 days, a group of staunch people represented by Metro always stood on the front line of the strike struggle, leading the workers to persist in the struggle. They endured hunger, overcame the wavering and compromising sentiments in the strike ranks, resisted the temptations and threats of the capitalists, and smashed the capitalists' use of military and police to suppress the workers. This long-lasting and unprecedented general strike finally ended with the victory of the workers and the defeat of the capitalists. However, as the main leader of the strike movement, Metro also paid a huge price for this. Just the day after the strike was victorious, Metro was imprisoned by the police for the third time, and more than 20 other comrades were also arrested. At this time, Metro had become a strong and conscious leader of the labor movement. In prison, he led everyone to persist in the struggle, and his wife Elsilia also endured the humiliation and fully supported his career. The same belief further deepened the sincere feelings between them as husband and wife. When Metro was released from prison, he saw Elsilia coming to pick him up with her child in her arms and her seven-month-pregnant body. What Metro is thinking about is the future struggle.

Work Appreciation In the history of contemporary Italian literature, the publication of "Metro" has triggered a major literary controversy. Critics have very different views on this work. One party believes that "Metro" is an epoch-making masterpiece. In terms of creative methods, it marks that postwar neorealist literature has fallen into an inextricable crisis, and heralds the beginning of introducing new creative methods into the literary field. In expressing life, it has found a new perspective on understanding the world and intervening in life from the perspective of ordinary workers and ordinary socialists. The other side believes that "Metro" does not break out of the neorealist frame, and the portrayal of the protagonist's image is not successful. The author is keen to reflect the animal nature of human beings but ignores the equally complex social nature. But in general, critics, readers and the publishing industry all feel that this is an excellent work that is rare in recent years, so the novel was sold out after it was published. "Metro" is set in Florence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and takes the growth process of the protagonist Metro as the basic plot line. It successfully describes an aspect of the early Italian workers' movement and vividly shows the 19th and early 20th centuries. The picture of social life in Italy at the turn of the 20th century artistically reproduces the historical process of the awakening, consciousness and growth of the Italian working class. His rigorous creative attitude, rough life experience, and rich writing experience enabled Pratorini to create a typical image of Metro with a strong sense of the times and reality. He is not only a rare positive example in contemporary Italian literature, but also an autobiographical figure. From his place of birth, his family, his education and his boyhood experiences, people can find the author's shadow everywhere. However, the author does not artificially elevate the character of Metro and write him as a flawless leader of the labor movement, but calmly and objectively describes Metro's growth experience. His advantages and strengths are written in praise words, while his shortcomings and mistakes are written in derogatory terms. This makes this character closer to life and more real and credible. Metro is the image of a leader of the labor movement who grew up from ordinary workers. He lost his parents when he was young, and a kind-hearted wet nurse raised him.

This unfortunate encounter made him taste the bitterness of life prematurely, and at the same time tempered his will, making him stronger in the struggle for workers' own rights. Metro's growth has gone through three stages: awakening, enlightenment, and maturity. These three stages were actually marked by his three arrests and imprisonments. When he was first imprisoned innocently, Metro was an apostate. And when he stepped out of the prison door after two days of life behind bars, he was determined to bid farewell to abolitionism and join the ranks of the socialist struggle. Because in prison, the socialist ideas of the young worker Kailini inspired him and shocked him, making him find a clearer life goal for the first time. Therefore, after he was released from prison, he often read progressive publications and attended socialist meetings, and his thoughts evolved from spontaneous to conscious. His second imprisonment was due to his involvement in workers' demonstrations. This made him realize more clearly that the struggle of the workers must have a clear program, otherwise it will only bring more pain. Therefore, after he was released from prison, he resolutely joined the Socialist Party and took the initiative and actively assumed the important responsibility of the leader of the labor movement. During the 46-day general strike in 1902, Metro fully demonstrated his courage and wisdom. He always fought on the front line of the struggle, overcame various difficulties and pressures, and finally won. And he himself was arrested and imprisoned for the third time. If Metro was like waking up from a dream when he was released from prison for the first time, and his vision became clearer when he was released from prison for the second time, then when he stepped out of the prison door for the third time, he had become a strong and mature worker. The leader of the movement. However, Metro is not a god but a living person. Therefore, while the author convincingly describes his growth process, he also objectively shows another aspect of his character. That was the dissolute life he lived when he was young, and his carelessness about love and marriage. This gives the existence of this character a solid foundation. The novel also shows the author's high artistic attainments. It has both epic and tearful scenes of labor struggle, as well as emotional rendering without political overtones. There are both neorealist line drawings and documentary, as well as prose-style euphemistic and moving chapters. The author ingeniously uses the two techniques of recollection and recording alternately, and skillfully combines the writing style of American realist novels with the tradition of Florentine literary creation, showing us a custom picture of the social life and emotional world at that time. .