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Rating: When talking about fantastic literature in Italy, it is impossible not to mention Gianfranco de Turris. Alongside Sebastiano Fusco, De Turris curated Fanucci's series dedicated to the fantastic and science fiction in the 1970s. Their curation caused some issues with the progressive critics due to their "neosymbolic" interpretation, their right-wing "vision," and the frequent references in the volumes' introductions to the traditionalist philosopher Julius Evola (De Turris is also the president of the Evola foundation and takes care of republishing his works for Edizioni Mediterranee). Most notably, the Roman critic was the first to present the figure of H.P. Lovecraft in Italy in a deep and non-superficial way through several articles and essays. Here too, there were controversies about the overly "ideological" interpretation of the great American writer. In this sense, there are indeed (as noted by the late Giuseppe Lippi regarding the essay Il Castoro) some overstatements. However, one cannot deny the great expertise of De Turris and the importance of his work in popularizing the Recluse of Providence. There is also a probably lesser-known side of his personality, that of a writer. Now, the Bietti publisher makes available his volume of short stories meaningfully titled Something Else. Stories 1986-2000. From reading these stories, a stylistic and substantive quality emerges, far from trivial, hinting at the stature of a true writer. They are often short stories but manage to leave a mark. Undoubtedly, his worldview emerges: De Turris has never denied feeling uncomfortable living in the modern world, but this aspect, beyond possible ideological connotations, is something that many people feel and often don't understand why.
Among the stories in this collection, The Missed Appointment particularly struck me, where the author describes an intense and metaphysical personal experience. The story is true and set in Paris, where De Turris was on vacation with his family. There are delightful anecdotes, such as the meeting with Daniel from a well-known science fiction magazine (referring to Daniel Riche, director of Fiction) and how De Turris was searching for a hidden Paris, far from the postcards and guided tours, an "idealized" (but real) Paris that perhaps existed only in his mind. But the supernatural experience occurs when, in the metro, he sees "a tall and thin, almost lanky figure, with a narrow face, a pronounced nose, a chin characterized by prominent prognathism." Well, that figure was H.P. Lovecraft whom he vainly tried to reach. In the end, one is left with the distinct sensation that that day on the Paris metro, De Turris really encountered Lovecraft, and I am sure of the truthfulness of the account. Among other stories, I highlight Puppet Show, where a journalist loses his trace inside an antique shop, plunging into another dimension of reality (including delightful quotes from Meyrink and Lovecraft), The Mark, where the protagonist discovers the imprint of a webbed foot on the seabed (one cannot help but think of The Shadow Over Innsmouth by HPL). But the author can also use the pulp register, as in Ferragosto, where we find a man alone in the city in August because his wife has gone on holiday. Initially, he is justly euphoric at being finally free. He then surrounds himself with cans of meat that will ultimately become his downfall, transforming into a monstrous gelatinous blob. An effective metaphor for describing the nightmare of the horror of modern reality, as also happens in Bus, a horror story worthy of Richard Matheson, as well as Manuscript Found in an Automobile Cemetery. The Old Man Walking by the Sea has metaphysical aspects and reminds one of The Aleph by the great Jorges Luis Borges. In The Tower of the Eclipse, the setting becomes science fiction and apocalyptic, almost "Ballardian," although political references criticizing current society are not lacking.
Overall, Something Else. Stories 1986-2000 is a precious book that I highly recommend to all fans of fantastic literature, especially those who have followed the evolution of this genre in Italy.
Gianfranco de Turris - "Something Else. Stories 1986-2000" – introduction by Giuseppe O.
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