•
Rating: As I wrote on anobii, this is an unforgettable book if read between the ages of 16 and 25. Particularly enjoyable for those who live or have lived in Milan, it has the great quality of being read very quickly thanks to a sharp and precise style. Some scenes are excessively dramatized and generally almost everything is excessive, noisy and overflowing, but it is precisely this constant abnormality that makes Armuzzi's novel extremely enjoyable and entertaining.
There are many moments where you laugh out loud, while in others you grasp small great truths that, once understood, leave a mark. A deliberately exaggerated and distorted picture of Milan's 'Milano da bere' and the '80s (which are somewhat the same thing), with all their virtues, flaws, vices, and virtues amplified to the extreme by Armuzzi's words. A deliberately youthful book, a novel of (de)formation that probably served the author in summing up his Lost Time, transfiguring and deforming it through a lens with strongly lysergic colors.
The plot is soon said: Marino Guzzi, a young genuine Bocconi student, meets Alex and with him begins the descent into a world made of drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, and idleness (I would say it was almost expected, given the master mentioned in the title). A descent into hell stuffed with unforgettable moments like the party at Marino's house, or his military visit, or the burning Range Rover, not to mention the "naked animals" concert... but then again, there’s little point in citing one page over another as it risks becoming an incomprehensible list for someone who hasn't had the chance to read the book.
Finally, the many citations (especially musical) that characterize Marino’s misadventures and make the book even more enjoyable are exceptional. Unfortunately, despite a recent reissue, "I Dreamed of Being Bukowski" went almost unnoticed in bookstores, but it has achieved status as an absolute cult for those born in the mid-'70s: I believe the author could not have asked for better.Loading comments slowly
