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Rating: This book will astonish you, as it astonished me. And right after, it will make you girariball. And not just a little.
"For its simplicity - write the authors - for the clarity of its contents, for the strong message hidden between the pages. Some will be outraged, some fascinated.
Some will even wonder "how did this happen?". A book that does NOT bore, does NOT tire, and can be finished in less than 30 seconds.
Yes, because if you hadn't realized, I'm talking about this "Nudo" written (?) by Cinzia Donati, Miranda Biondi, and Enzo Rielli (three of them!!) from Giovane Holden Edizioni (112 pages € 5) that has pages... completely blank.
The trio of tricksters says: 'We believe in it a lot. At first glance, some might say it is a defective book, that the correct copy is not the one they have in their hand, but who knows. It's an invitation to reflect; everyone reads into it what they want'', says Cinzia Donati. And she continues ''It was fun to see on Saturday, at the first presentation of the book, the faces of the people to whom we gave it. They unwrapped it all together, and there was a moment of shock. Then the idea was liked, and my journalist friends went crazy. I keep receiving messages and emails. Everyone will draw from those pages what they want. Hopefully, they'll be used to hold thoughts, not the shopping list. The idea of the unwritten page is certainly simple. But it hides a deeper message. In short: 'read' to experiment''.
The hidden message is clear, but the authors drive the point home and emphasize: "Books full of words are everywhere. And how many of these books – where thoughts, words, concepts, and emotions are classically inked – are whiter than a book with blank pages? How many of these traditional books slip away without leaving anything behind, read with the mind elsewhere? More generally, we say that in this world where there's everything, so much of everything, too much of everything, everything has already been written etc. etc., a book made of blank pages seemed a clear message to us. If you don't know what to do with a blank book... Well... Surely you have, at home somewhere, a wobbly table..."
Funny guy, too...eh?
So. If the thing is to be taken as a funny provocation (a bit silly, and if we want not even that original)... that's fine too. But for this trio of cheeky pranksters to take us for fools with the hidden messages, the other useless books, and so many nice theories, honestly, it's too much. One thing is a boutade, the quip, the game for its own sake, and then it passes. Another thing is being big smart alecks and making fun of people who read and honestly believe in the power of the book (and in Italy it seems there are already too few readers!).
To the stake.... to the stake!
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