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This 'dream-laden and spooked' (Marina Warner, London Review of Books) story is to many one of the best-loved books of the twentieth century. Munthe spent many years working as a doctor in Southern Italy, labouring unstintingly during typhus, cholera and earthquake disasters. It was during this period that he came across the ruined Tiberian villa of San Michele, perched high above the glittering Bay of Naples on Capri. With the help of Mastro Nicola and his three sons, and with only a charcoal sketch roughly drawn on a garden wall to guide them, Munthe devoted himself to rebuilding the house and chapel. Over five long summers they toiled under a sapphire-blue sky, their mad-cap project leading them to buried skeletons and ancient coins, and to hilarious encounters with a rich cast of vividly-drawn villagers. The Story of San Michele reverberates with the mesmerising hum of a long, hot Italian summer. Peopled with unforgettable characters, it is as brilliantly enjoyable and readable today as it was upon first publication. The book quickly became an international bestseller and has now been translated into more than 30 languages; it is today an established classic, and sales number in the millions.… (mais)
Munthe raconte ses nombreuses vies (médecin mondain, médecin des pauvres, peste, choléra et guerres, amateur d'art) et raconte l'histoire de sa merveilleuse villa avec verve et humour. Les chiens sont plus faciles à soigner que les femmes du monde parce qu'ils ne mentent pas.
As I’m reading reviews from people who did not like The Story of San Michel, I want to ask, “What is wrong with you? Did we even read the same book.” Axel Munthe is great. I would have loved to have been at a dinner party with him. Munthe was a Swedish physician who had a fashionable clientele in France and Italy, which in itself might seem bland. However, Munthe was a man on the move, living a life filled with adventure. With no head for business, he was still successful and ultimately retired to Capri. The charming polymath rescued orphans and animals. He didn’t charge indigent patients and was hands on in various typhus, cholera and TB epidemics. He fought a duel with a man who killed his dog, barely survived an Alpine avalanche, dabbled in hypnosis, and might have encountered a troll in the far north. Take Munthe with a grain of salt. He’s a delightful, sophisticated man who offers a glimpse into the pre-WWI lives of Europe’s cultured elites. ( )
Del prólogo del autor: «Parece que los críticos han encontrado considerables dificultades para clasificar La historia de San Michele, lo cual no me sorprende. Algunos han visto en el libro una autobiografía; otros, las memorias de un médico. A mi entender, no es ni una cosa ni otra. Ciertamente yo no hubiera podido emplear tantas páginas en escribir la historia de mi vida, aun sin omitir los capítulos más tristes y más densos de acontecimientos. Lo que sí puedo asegurar es que nunca tuve la intención de escribir un libro sobre mí mismo; al contrario, mi preocupación constante ha sido tratar de desembarazarme de esta vaga personalidad mía. Sea como fuere, si este libro ha resultado, a pesar de todo, una autobiografía, empiezo a creer, juzgando por su venta, que el modo más sencillo de escribir sobre sí mismo consiste en pensar en los otros; no hay más que sentarse cómodamente y mirar hacia el pasado con los propios ojos ciegos.»
I'm not sure what my reaction was when finishing this book, but since "finally" was a possibility I'll not give it much credit. Not boring enough to drop, not interesting enough for me to want to keep reading. ( )
This 'dream-laden and spooked' (Marina Warner, London Review of Books) story is to many one of the best-loved books of the twentieth century. Munthe spent many years working as a doctor in Southern Italy, labouring unstintingly during typhus, cholera and earthquake disasters. It was during this period that he came across the ruined Tiberian villa of San Michele, perched high above the glittering Bay of Naples on Capri. With the help of Mastro Nicola and his three sons, and with only a charcoal sketch roughly drawn on a garden wall to guide them, Munthe devoted himself to rebuilding the house and chapel. Over five long summers they toiled under a sapphire-blue sky, their mad-cap project leading them to buried skeletons and ancient coins, and to hilarious encounters with a rich cast of vividly-drawn villagers. The Story of San Michele reverberates with the mesmerising hum of a long, hot Italian summer. Peopled with unforgettable characters, it is as brilliantly enjoyable and readable today as it was upon first publication. The book quickly became an international bestseller and has now been translated into more than 30 languages; it is today an established classic, and sales number in the millions.
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