Venice for Lovers

by Louis Begley, Anka Muhlstein Narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner

Overview

Every year for all the thirty they have been married, Louis Begley and Anka Muhlstein have escaped to Venice to write. In Venice for Lovers, the couple has fashioned an homage to the City of Water. In her essay, Muhlstein charmingly describes how becoming friends with restaurateurs has been an unsurpassed means of getting to know the city and its inhabitants-Venetians like Ernesto, whose restaurant they have dinner in every night for many years, and who tells them of the great flood that nearly destroyed the beautiful city. They spend blissful hours at Da Fiore, named by The International Herald Tribune one of the ten best restaurants in the world but which retains its rustic simplicity.

In his novella, Begley writes a story of falling in love with-and in-Venice. His twenty-year-old protagonist is lured to the city by the older woman he adores, only to be left to fend for himself. But he later discovers a lasting love for Venice itself-not an uncommon occurrence, as Begley's brilliant portrayal of the city's place within world literature demonstrates: Henry James, Marcel Proust, and Thomas Mann were all illustrious predecessors in whom Venice inspired dreams of love and passion.

Editorial Reviews

Mindy Aloff

Both writers are exemplars of the windowpane school of prose: We are able to visualize their subjects as soon as we take in their sentences.
—The Washington Post

Publishers Weekly

For decades, biographer Muhlstein (Letters from Russia) and her husband, novelist Begley (Matters of Honor), have traveled to Venice to spend their summers writing. This evocative collaboration-three short works, which together celebrate their beloved home away from home-translates the original, German edition released in 2004. In the first section, an essay, Muhlstein reflects on how they came to know the city through its people, in spite of the couple's strict, self-imposed rules against making friends during their sabbaticals. Their guides were the owners of the four charming restaurants that became their staples. Particularly memorable is Muhlstein's passage about Ernesto, who describes the devastating flood of November 1966. In the second section, a novella by Begley, the reader encounters Venice from the perspective of an American college student who travels there in pursuit of an older woman. She soon rejects him; however, in romance's stead, a deeper, more lasting affection for Venice and a friendship with a classmate develop. In the third section, Begley writes a treatise on Venice's role in the works of three authors he admires: Henry James, Marcel Proust and Thomas Mann. This triptych of works draws on the best of both worlds: the dazzled, fresh eyes of a pilgrim and the insight of a perennial resident. This book works less as a straightforward guide to piazzas and palazzos than as a stimulant to travels real and imaginary. (Nov.)

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From the Publisher

“A love letter to an ancient Italian city by the sea . . . Both writers are exemplars of the windowpane school of prose: We are able to visualize their subjects as soon as we take in their sentences.”—Mindy Aloff, The Washington Post

“Refreshing and delightful. Begley and Muhlstein manage to combine in one volume the innocent ardor of a first-time visitor and the seasoned appreciation of longtime lovers.”—Don George, National Geographic Traveler

“This is an unconventional introduction that captures the spirit both of La Serenissima and of what Thomas Mann called “the slightly foul odor of sea and swamp.”. . . fresh insights both from the writers who are quoted and the authors themselves: and the novella is a gem.”—Andrew Taylor, Times Literary Supplement (UK)

“A charming collection of writing and memoirs of the most romantic of cities.”—The Daily Express (UK)

APRIL 2009 - AudioFile

Take two well-known writers, novelist Louis Begley and his biographer wife, Anka Muhlstein, give them two decades of summer writing in Venice, add their passion for food and skillful observations about local color, and you've got the makings for great listening. The promise is fulfilled with Malcolm Hillgartner's facile pronunciations, his ease in uniting three short pieces of different genres, and his liveliness, which will capture listeners whether they've experienced the magic of Venice or not. The production’s wide variety includes Muhlstein's enticing descriptions of four Venetian restaurants and the owners who seduced the pair of appreciative diners; Begley's nonfiction accounts of Venice's power over Henry James, Marcel Proust, and Thomas Mann; and Begley's novella about a young man who parlays unrequited sex into an ardor for Venice. S.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172696589
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	11/01/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged

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