Maurizio Costacurta
Te la senti di costruire un monumento

In the end, and despite the unpleasant setbacks, the monument was erected

Maurizio Costacurta’s novel, though a debut work, is captivating, despite being written with seemingly light and very fluid prose. Easy to read, therefore, but don’t be fooled: it’s not an easy read...
Despite his constant disclaimers, repeating... "I didn’t want to do literature!". Don’t believe him!
In the manner of Strindberg, his autobiographical style is a high form of literature. In the manner of Proust, he digs into his memory to extract pure prose.
And in the manner of Carofiglio (si parva licet!), his writing, besides being delightful, is honest and straightforward, mostly because it comes from the depths of his heart - you can see it, or rather, you can feel it.
The story of the monument, narrated from the publication of the competition notice to the verge of its realization, over almost a year, is skillfully interwoven with his professional history and his personal and private story, punctuated by a few flashbacks from his youth and interesting incursions into his love relationship with his current partner.
Moreover, it is narrated without ever venturing into erotic literature, much less vulgarity.
The author appropriately interrupts the description of their intimate relations, which remain merely suggested, albeit clearly, a moment before they occur. With lightness and a hint of complacency, he suggests them to the reader... "we left a trail of clothes on the floor that led up to the foot of our bed!"
The book also constitutes the personal and professional testimony of a good architect forced to clash with the delays, obstacles, and Kafkaesque situations that bureaucracy generously offers and that grip almost all Italian public offices: for this peculiar reason, it is almost an "instant book" (even though it refers to events in 2006: but alas, since then, nothing has changed! Sic!) on the thorny subject of the troubled relationship between the citizen and the P.A..
For the record, and to conclude: the monument indeed exists, in the end, and despite the unpleasant setbacks it was erected, those who wish to see and appreciate it should visit Rome, where they will easily find it near the Ostiense Station.
Maurizio Costacurta went out of his way to serve you a beautiful novel better, in fact, he wrote four stories in one: that of the architect, that of the man, that of the pacifist patriot, and that of the music historian.

A truly stunning debut.