1. “Travel is useful. It exercises the imagination.
All the rest is disappointment and fatigue.Copy !req
2. Our journey is entirely imaginary.
That is its strength.Copy !req
3. It goes from life to death. People,
animals, cities, things - all are imagined.Copy !req
4. It's a novel, just a fictitious narrative.
Littré says so, and he's never wrong.Copy !req
5. Besides, anyone can do it.
You just have to close your eyes.Copy !req
6. It's on the other side of life.”Copy !req
7. Céline - Journey to the End of the NightCopy !req
8. Fire!Copy !req
9. You're a real pain in the ass.Copy !req
10. Enough!Copy !req
11. They even have cocktails
with cherries. Remember?Copy !req
12. He)', jerks!Copy !req
13. I'll fuck you!Copy !req
14. I'll fuck you!Copy !req
15. Have you seen Ermanno?Copy !req
16. - I'm gonna fuck you now, you hear?
- Get lost!Copy !req
17. What the hell are you doing?Copy !req
18. My phone's been stolen!Copy !req
19. I'm starring in two TV dramas.Copy !req
20. Fm Playing a pope in one,Copy !req
21. and in the other a junkie
on the road to recovery.Copy !req
22. Very impressive.Copy !req
23. Any theater work?Copy !req
24. I'm supposed to do
some Shakespeare with Pietro,Copy !req
25. but it has to be
at least three hours long,Copy !req
26. an ambitious project,Copy !req
27. and no more small cities.Copy !req
28. I'm trying to write a theater piece.
The concept is -Copy !req
29. - What about you?
- I might give up acting.Copy !req
30. In this shitty country there are
never any good female roles.Copy !req
31. I'll work on my first novel,
a Proustian piece.Copy !req
32. No kidding!
Proust's my favorite writer.Copy !req
33. Along with Ammaniti.Copy !req
34. What a coincidence.Copy !req
35. Who's that woman?Copy !req
36. You don't know? it's Lorena.Copy !req
37. Who?Copy !req
38. A former TV showgirl, now in full
physical and mental decline.Copy !req
39. I've never seen her before.
But then, I've never had a TV.Copy !req
40. Viola, I know that.Copy !req
41. You remind me
at least once a day.Copy !req
42. - What does she do now?
- Nothing.Copy !req
43. Happy birthday, Jep!Copy !req
44. Happy birthday, Rome!Copy !req
45. Happy birthday, Jep!Copy !req
46. La Colita!Copy !req
47. To this question, as kids,Copy !req
48. my friends always gave
the same answer:Copy !req
49. nCopy !req
50. Whereas I answered...Copy !req
51. “the smell
of old people's houses.”Copy !req
52. The question was...Copy !req
53. “What do you really like
most in life?”Copy !req
54. I was destined
to be a sensitive type.Copy !req
55. I was destined
to become a writer.Copy !req
56. I was destined to becomeCopy !req
57. Jep Gambardella.Copy !req
58. You paid no attention
to me tonight.Copy !req
59. Romano, don't start moaning.Copy !req
60. We're not an item.Copy !req
61. - Did you like that guy?
- I like everyone and no one.Copy !req
62. And when it's no one,
it's my turn.Copy !req
63. - Will you take me to the airport?
- Sure! What time do you leave?Copy !req
64. In three hours.Copy !req
65. Three hours?Copy !req
66. Then maybe I better crash
on your sofa -Copy !req
67. Go home.Copy !req
68. I have to pack,
and I don't like people around.Copy !req
69. - But I live so far away.
- See you at 8:00.Copy !req
70. Good night.Copy !req
71. Guys?Copy !req
72. Guys?Copy !req
73. Children!Copy !req
74. Go on.Copy !req
75. Catellani?Copy !req
76. The best, of course.Copy !req
77. I mean,
did Catellani the tailorCopy !req
78. make your suit?Copy !req
79. There was no doubt
as to Malagna's shady intentions.Copy !req
80. The girl had to be rescued
immediately, at all costs.Copy !req
81. Sir, you drank.Copy !req
82. Just enough
to forget my birthday.Copy !req
83. - You want herbal tea?
- Absolutely, chér/e.Copy !req
84. - I got you a present.
- How sweet.Copy !req
85. A lucky charm from my country.Copy !req
86. Good thing it's lucky,
'cause it's ugly as hell.Copy !req
87. Keep it on your nightstand
and stop complaining.Copy !req
88. Verily. And thanks.Copy !req
89. Wake me at 3:00 p.m.,
you rascal.Copy !req
90. Makes me laugh
when you call me that.Copy !req
91. I don't love you!Copy !req
92. Did you enjoy the performance?Copy !req
93. Parts of it.Copy !req
94. That violent head-butt
explains a lot.Copy !req
95. Let's start at the beginning.
- Why not the end?Copy !req
96. You know, Talia Concept
loves to provoke.Copy !req
97. Don't bother. There are more
important things than provoking me.Copy !req
98. And this referring to yourself
in the third person is unbearable.Copy !req
99. What are you reading?Copy !req
100. I don't need to read. I live on vibrations,
including extrasensory ones.Copy !req
101. Setting the extrasensory aside
for a moment,Copy !req
102. what do you mean
by “vibrations”?Copy !req
103. How does one useCopy !req
104. the crude vulgarity of words
to explain the poetry of vibrations?Copy !req
105. Well, try.Copy !req
106. I'm an artist.
I don't need to explain jack shit.Copy !req
107. Then I'll write, “Lives on vibrations
but doesn't know what they are.”Copy !req
108. I'm starting to dislike this interview.
I sense conflict in you.Copy !req
109. - Conflict as a vibration?
- As a pain in the ass.Copy !req
110. Let's discuss how my mother's
boyfriend abused me.Copy !req
111. No! I want to know
what vibrations are.Copy !req
112. They're my radar
for listening in on the world.Copy !req
113. Your radar... meaning?Copy !req
114. You're a pain in the ass.Copy !req
115. We got off to a bad start.Copy !req
116. Talia Concept wants to be interviewed
by your paper. It has lots of readers.Copy !req
117. But you're biased.Copy !req
118. Write about how she has sex
with her boyfriend 11 times a day.Copy !req
119. He's a talented conceptual artist.Copy !req
120. He covers basketballs in confetti.
It's sensational.Copy !req
121. Talia Concept is talking about things
she doesn't understand.Copy !req
122. All I've heard so far
is unpublishable fluff.Copy !req
123. If you think I'll fall for
“I'm an artist, I don't need to explain,”Copy !req
124. you're mistaken.Copy !req
125. Our paper has
a very educated readershipCopy !req
126. that won't be taken for fools.
I work for them.Copy !req
127. Then let me talk
about my eventful and difficultCopy !req
128. but necessary journey
as an artist!Copy !req
129. Necessary for whom?Copy !req
130. For heaven's sake, ma'am,
what is a vibration?Copy !req
131. - I don't know.
- You don't know.Copy !req
132. You're an obsessive jerk!Copy !req
133. I'll tell your editor to send me
a journalist of greater stature.Copy !req
134. A word of advice:
When you speak with her,Copy !req
135. go easy on the stature business.
She's a dwarf.Copy !req
136. Jep, this interview is a hoot!Copy !req
137. Maybe, but it's the last time
I interview someoneCopy !req
138. who head-butts walls.Copy !req
139. - You find out her trick?
- Foam rubber.Copy !req
140. Amateur theatrics never die.Copy !req
141. You weren't offended
by the stature thing, right?Copy !req
142. Don't be silly.
That's the funniest part.Copy !req
143. I'm a dwarf.
Why not say so?Copy !req
144. It's the first and last thing
everyone says about me.Copy !req
145. You're a spectacular woman, Dadina.
You've had the career you deserve.Copy !req
146. But you haven't, Jep.Copy !req
147. Maybe I just don't have
much to say.Copy !req
148. Bullshit. You're just lazy.Copy !req
149. You never leave Rome.Copy !req
150. Go to Giglio and do that report
o n t h e Concord/aCopy !req
151. I've asked you to do 5O times.Copy !req
152. Rice is always tastier reheated
than freshly cooked, eh?Copy !req
153. The old is better than the new.Copy !req
154. Plans tonight, chér/e?Copy !req
155. As the great De Blasi,
my predecessor, would say,Copy !req
156. “Tonight I'm going to have
some nice soup and a good screw.”Copy !req
157. Two things
that contradict each other.Copy !req
158. That's what I'd always say,
and she'd reply, in a serious tone,Copy !req
159. “No, Dadina, they don't,Copy !req
160. because they're both hot.”Copy !req
161. There's a decent-sized
publishing house in AnconaCopy !req
162. that really wants a book
of interviews with you.Copy !req
163. Another interview book?
They interview everyone in this country!Copy !req
164. Can't you just hear them?
“As I always say”... to whom?Copy !req
165. Let's forget it.Copy !req
166. And honestly,
who'll buy a book calledCopy !req
167. Visions and Revisions:
Jep Gambardella's Galaxy?Copy !req
168. It's a serious title!Copy !req
169. And unfortunately, to be taken
seriously in this country,Copy !req
170. you have to take
yourself seriously.Copy !req
171. I only wrote one novel
4O years ago,Copy !req
172. and no bookstore carries it.Copy !req
173. Bullshit! The Human Apparatus
was a masterpiece!Copy !req
174. It even won the -
What was it?Copy !req
175. - The Bancarella prize.
- The friggin' Bancarella!Copy !req
176. You're very kind, but let's drop it.
It'd look too presumptuous.Copy !req
177. No, we can't. You'll put me
in an awkward position.Copy !req
178. I already agreed to it
and accepted an advance.Copy !req
179. - How much?
- 1,500 euros.Copy !req
180. Give it back.
I'll give you the 1,500.Copy !req
181. By the way,
I spoke to the theater people.Copy !req
182. They'll give you three nights,
but you pay for the lights.Copy !req
183. Who cares about that!Copy !req
184. Jep, this is great news.Copy !req
185. Really great news.
Thanks.Copy !req
186. Are you still up?Copy !req
187. It's time for bed.Copy !req
188. That's Viola Bartoli,
Bartoli's widow.Copy !req
189. The guy who was killed,
the actual Bartoli.Copy !req
190. She has a 150-foot yacht
that belonged to Himmler, the nazi.Copy !req
191. You know what I call her?Copy !req
192. - What?
- “Too Good to Poop.”Copy !req
193. - I don't understand.
- Because she's persnickety.Copy !req
194. Usually persnickety people
don't poop.Copy !req
195. When I introduced Trumeau
to my family, my father said,Copy !req
196. “Miss, before marrying my son,
have you ever seen him poop?”Copy !req
197. - That's gross!
- Gross is all in your head.Copy !req
198. My wife and I
are the only couple in loveCopy !req
199. right now in Italy.Copy !req
200. Orietta, watch out for Lello.Copy !req
201. I figured that out.Copy !req
202. He's the world's greatest salesman.
He cons everyone.Copy !req
203. He'll have you buying
his entire inventory in no time.Copy !req
204. He's always flattering me.Copy !req
205. The fact I express myself well
doesn't mean I'm always working.Copy !req
206. - What do you do?
- I sell toys.Copy !req
207. It's not some little
toy shop somewhere.Copy !req
208. He sells wholesale worldwide,
even to the Chinese.Copy !req
209. Who's that guy?Copy !req
210. That's Sebastiano Paf,Copy !req
211. perhaps ltaly's
greatest living poet.Copy !req
212. He wrote the line...Copy !req
213. “Up with life,
down with reminiscence.”Copy !req
214. He's doing the Dukan diet
so that Dadina won't leave him.Copy !req
215. Are they a couple?Copy !req
216. - He thinks so, but -
- Like in high school.Copy !req
217. Why doesn't he ever talk?Copy !req
218. Because he listens.Copy !req
219. - Stop sucking that shit up your nose!
- Fuck off.Copy !req
220. Jep's found a theater for me.Copy !req
221. Want to play the lead?
- I'm not acting anymore.Copy !req
222. I'm a writer now.Copy !req
223. Maybe...Copy !req
224. maybe I'll direct a film.Copy !req
225. Viola, darling.Copy !req
226. Jep, please help me.
I'm worried about my son.Copy !req
227. - What can I do?
- Why don't you talk to him?Copy !req
228. You always say
you're best with strangers.Copy !req
229. We're all best with strangers.Copy !req
230. Is he seeing a therapist?
- Yes, but he wants to stop going.Copy !req
231. Take him to a psychiatrist.Copy !req
232. They don't waste time:
Ativan, Prozac, all that stuff.Copy !req
233. “That stuff”
makes him feel worse.Copy !req
234. Viola, relax.
The boy's always been a bit odd.Copy !req
235. Listen, have you tried
Ahé's escarole pie?Copy !req
236. It's the first time
that rascal's made it,Copy !req
237. and it came out
better than my mom's.Copy !req
238. Do me a favor
and try a piece.Copy !req
239. You changed your hair color.Copy !req
240. I've been feeling
Pirandello-esque lately.Copy !req
241. Great jazz, no?
- Not really.Copy !req
242. The Ethiopian jazz scene is
the only one I find interesting today.Copy !req
243. I'm from Milan.Copy !req
244. To be honest,
I find Romans...Copy !req
245. unbearable.Copy !req
246. The best people in Rome
are the tourists.Copy !req
247. In all of Italy!Copy !req
248. What are we famous for overseas?
Fashion and pizza.Copy !req
249. A country of weavers and grocers.Copy !req
250. How can someone who sells toys,
bringing joy to the world,Copy !req
251. be such a pessimist and a defeatist?
You're so dark.Copy !req
252. - Dark?
- Yes.Copy !req
253. I heard Gisella Montanelli
went to loan sharksCopy !req
254. to pay her hairdressing debts.Copy !req
255. Jep says I'm dark.Copy !req
256. Gisella's really sunk that low?Copy !req
257. Rome is the only city
in the worldCopy !req
258. where Marxism's reached
its full potential.Copy !req
259. You can't excel over others here
for more than a week.Copy !req
260. You're immediately brought back
to the golden mean.Copy !req
261. Rome is pure collectivism.Copy !req
262. Pure collectivism.
Stefa', what utter nonsense!Copy !req
263. You know that Flaubert wanted
to write a book about nothing?Copy !req
264. Too bad he never met you.
It would have made a great book.Copy !req
265. You're a misogynist.Copy !req
266. Stop assuming it's all about you.
I'm not a misogynist. I'm a misanthrope.Copy !req
267. Hear, hear!
With hatred, one must aim high.Copy !req
268. You're a very dark man.Copy !req
269. Lello!Copy !req
270. Not stopping tonight?Copy !req
271. Mama!
When I see you, I blush!Copy !req
272. Andrea...Copy !req
273. you're crazy.
- No, I'm not crazy!Copy !req
274. I've got problems.Copy !req
275. “As the lights flashed,
love sat down in the corner...Copy !req
276. shy and distracted as it was.Copy !req
277. That's why we could
tolerate life no longer.”Copy !req
278. Good heavens,
no one's quoted me in decades!Copy !req
279. I read your book as a teenager.
I never forgot the end.Copy !req
280. Stop right there.Copy !req
281. You're stroking my ego
most recklessly.Copy !req
282. It's obvious you were deeply
in love when you wrote it.Copy !req
283. Moravia made more or less
the same comment,Copy !req
284. though he stated his case
a bit more elegantly.Copy !req
285. I once saw Piazza Navona
covered in snow.Copy !req
286. Really?
What was it like?Copy !req
287. White.Copy !req
288. This is where I stay in Rome.Copy !req
289. Banished to the 'burbs, eh?Copy !req
290. What do you do for work?Copy !req
291. Me? I'm rich.Copy !req
292. Nice work.Copy !req
293. You didn't enjoy it.Copy !req
294. I know I'm not very good.Copy !req
295. Why do you say that?Copy !req
296. Besides,
it's so sad to be good.Copy !req
297. It can become
all about technique.Copy !req
298. You didn't really seem
to be into it.Copy !req
299. You're very beautiful, Orietta.Copy !req
300. Very, very, very beautiful.Copy !req
301. I take pictures of myself,
you know.Copy !req
302. At all hours of the day,
to get to know myself.Copy !req
303. With my phone and its timer.
- Interesting.Copy !req
304. My Facebook friends say
I take great pictures.Copy !req
305. I bet you're naked
in some of them.Copy !req
306. - A few.
- I knew it.Copy !req
307. Want to see them?Copy !req
308. Sure.Copy !req
309. I'll get my computer.Copy !req
310. The most important thing
I discoveredCopy !req
311. a few days after turning 65Copy !req
312. was that I can't waste any more time
doing things I don't want to do.Copy !req
313. When I arrived in RomeCopy !req
314. at the age of 26,Copy !req
315. I fell fairly swiftly,Copy !req
316. almost without realizing it,Copy !req
317. into what might be calledCopy !req
318. “the whirlpool of high society."Copy !req
319. But I didn't just want to be
part of high society.Copy !req
320. Sacconi should be in charge.Copy !req
321. Antonini's
a fucking pain in the ass!Copy !req
322. I wanted to be
the king of high society.Copy !req
323. And I succeeded.Copy !req
324. I didn't want
to just go to parties.Copy !req
325. I wanted the power
to make or break them.Copy !req
326. Gambardella?Copy !req
327. Forgive my showing up
like this without notice.Copy !req
328. I'm Alfredo Marti.Copy !req
329. Nice to meet you. I'm Jep.
But I live over here.Copy !req
330. No, I don't want to bother you.Copy !req
331. How can I help you?Copy !req
332. I'm Elisa De Santis's husband.Copy !req
333. Did you have children?Copy !req
334. No.Copy !req
335. I couldn't.Copy !req
336. I could.Copy !req
337. I could.Copy !req
338. I'm sorry.Copy !req
339. I'm sorry.Copy !req
340. She could have too.Copy !req
341. Elisa died.Copy !req
342. Yesterday.Copy !req
343. Alfre', if I can help in any way.
you know where I live.Copy !req
344. Don't leave me alone.
Please don't leave me alone.Copy !req
345. We were married for 35 years,Copy !req
346. but Elisa always loved you.Copy !req
347. What are you talking about?Copy !req
348. Elisa and I went out together
when we were kids.Copy !req
349. In fact, I think she left me,
but it was so long ago I can't -Copy !req
350. Yes, she left you.Copy !req
351. On September 8th, 1970.Copy !req
352. Exactly.Copy !req
353. You're distraught now.
That's normal.Copy !req
354. I'm not distraught.Copy !req
355. Elisa only loved
one man in her life.Copy !req
356. You.
- How can you say that?Copy !req
357. I never saw Elisa again.
You two spent a lifetime together.Copy !req
358. I found a diary of hers,
with a lock.Copy !req
359. And I broke the lock off.Copy !req
360. Alfredo, I write for a living.Copy !req
361. Believe me...Copy !req
362. when you write, you give life
to fantasies, imagination, lies.Copy !req
363. I was just a good companion.Copy !req
364. That's all she wrote about me.Copy !req
365. Thirty-five years together...Copy !req
366. and I'm mentioned in two lines
as a good companion.Copy !req
367. Here.Copy !req
368. What will you do now?Copy !req
369. What I've always done.Copy !req
370. I'll go on worshipping her.Copy !req
371. What's he doing?Copy !req
372. Stop!Copy !req
373. Jep!Copy !req
374. You did it!Copy !req
375. - Have you seen my daughter?
- Your daughter? No.Copy !req
376. Francesca.Copy !req
377. Who are you?Copy !req
378. Who am I?Copy !req
379. I am -
- You're nobody.Copy !req
380. Nobody?Copy !req
381. But I-Copy !req
382. Francesca,
where on earth are you?Copy !req
383. I've been looking for you
for an hour.Copy !req
384. - Are you sad, sir?
- No.Copy !req
385. Sir feels strange.Copy !req
386. I don't like.
I prefer Sir be sad.Copy !req
387. Are you going to bed?
- Last night I went to bed at 10:30.Copy !req
388. Now I don't know what to do.Copy !req
389. Morning is
an unknown quantity to me.Copy !req
390. Unknown.Copy !req
391. Then Sir can help me
clean the house.Copy !req
392. - Sir can't. Sir feels strange.
- Sir is a rascal.Copy !req
393. “Is there a new nation
stirring within the city walls?Copy !req
394. From the crevices of that soil
a feverish vapor ascends like smokeCopy !req
395. and works like a magic philter
in the blood of certain men,Copy !req
396. producing a form
of heroic madnessCopy !req
397. unlike any other.”Copy !req
398. What do you think?
Friggin' powerful, right?Copy !req
399. Why the hell adapt
D'Annunzio for the stage?Copy !req
400. D'Annunzio's
always been paradigmatic -Copy !req
401. You think these intellectual
acrobatics lend you dignity,Copy !req
402. that others are better than you,
but you're wrong.Copy !req
403. Try and write something
truly your own...Copy !req
404. about a feeling, or sorrow.Copy !req
405. You know, you've never
been to my place.Copy !req
406. Your “place”?
You have a room in student housing.Copy !req
407. You going out with that sourpuss
you're always with?Copy !req
408. I wish.
I've tried 7,000 timesCopy !req
409. and never got a single kiss.Copy !req
410. - She's a bitch.
- No, she's not.Copy !req
411. She's complicated.Copy !req
412. She's a bitch.
Trust me. You're too kind.Copy !req
413. I can tell her type a mile off.
No need to even meet them.Copy !req
414. - What are you doing?
- My morning exercise.Copy !req
415. - That's exercise?
- Yes.Copy !req
416. Have you ever counted
the women you've been with?Copy !req
417. No, I'm terrible at math.Copy !req
418. I've always been great at math.Copy !req
419. But I know you've had six.
I introduced you to all of them.Copy !req
420. Seven.Copy !req
421. Seven?Copy !req
422. When was number seven?
- Last summer.Copy !req
423. A friend of my sister's,
when I visited back home.Copy !req
424. She has a men's shop.Copy !req
425. She's nice.Copy !req
426. That means she's a dog.Copy !req
427. What about you and Orietta?Copy !req
428. - Who's Orietta?
- Who's Orietta?Copy !req
429. She was at your place
the other night.Copy !req
430. A real beauty.Copy !req
431. At my age,
a beautiful woman isn't enough.Copy !req
432. I might start writing again.Copy !req
433. That's great news!Copy !req
434. Did something happen?Copy !req
435. Why?Copy !req
436. If you want to write again
after all these years,Copy !req
437. something happened.Copy !req
438. Somethings always happening in Rome.
Nothing happened.Copy !req
439. What are you looking at?Copy !req
440. Come here.Copy !req
441. They met at the university
ten days ago.Copy !req
442. They've been kissingCopy !req
443. nonstop for ten days.Copy !req
444. This generation
of young people horrifies me.Copy !req
445. The state supports them
for years,Copy !req
446. but when they realize they have half
a brain, they're off to study or workCopy !req
447. in America or London.Copy !req
448. They have no civic vocation.Copy !req
449. As a young girl, in the occupied Arts
Department, I oozed civic vocation.Copy !req
450. - You oozed civic vocation?
- Yes, why?Copy !req
451. - Come off it.
- What do you know?Copy !req
452. You were loafing
around Naples with rich girlsCopy !req
453. and writing your only novelette.Copy !req
454. I didn't realize history
was being made.Copy !req
455. Novelette?Copy !req
456. It was a masterpiece
of Italian literature.Copy !req
457. Jep and civic vocation
never got along.Copy !req
458. He was lazy,
civic vocation was hyperactive.Copy !req
459. Romano, stop sucking up
to your idol. You're pathetic.Copy !req
460. The Human Apparatus
was narrow-minded,Copy !req
461. frivolous, and as pretentious
as its title, and Jep knows it.Copy !req
462. That's why he stopped there.Copy !req
463. Sorry, and what about you?Copy !req
464. I tried changing things
through literature.Copy !req
465. I wrote 11 socially engaged novelsCopy !req
466. and a book
on the official history of the Party.Copy !req
467. Don't forget your contribution
to that reality show -Copy !req
468. Girl Farm.Copy !req
469. Television can be
a very formative experience.Copy !req
470. And when I'm invited
somewhere, I go.Copy !req
471. I get my hands dirty.
I try things.Copy !req
472. I don't spend my life
being a snob.Copy !req
473. Are you saying
a socially engaged writerCopy !req
474. gets some sort of free pass
compared to a novelistCopy !req
475. who deals with -
I don't know - feelings?Copy !req
476. Of course she is!Copy !req
477. The cause someone commits
their life to isn't secondary.Copy !req
478. Like having a family,Copy !req
479. sacrificing oneself day in and day out
to raise one's children.Copy !req
480. Eusebio and I have four children.
We plan the future together.Copy !req
481. I break my back to be
both mother and woman,Copy !req
482. and at the end of the day I feel
I've done something important.Copy !req
483. So those of us without childrenCopy !req
484. should consider suicide?Copy !req
485. - I don't mean you, of course.
- She means me.Copy !req
486. Dadina, I admire you greatly.
You're a real badass.Copy !req
487. Do you use “badass”
in your novels?Copy !req
488. Yes, I do.Copy !req
489. I try to be modern.Copy !req
490. - Modernity is badass.
- De gust/bus...Copy !req
491. Such conviction!Copy !req
492. I don't know whether to feel
jealous or appalled.Copy !req
493. Yes, I have convictions.
I'm 53 -Copy !req
494. - You'd never know it.
- Never.Copy !req
495. I'm 53. I've suffered,
but I've bounced backCopy !req
496. and learned a lot about life.Copy !req
497. At last -
no further response.Copy !req
498. I was drinking.Copy !req
499. No response
because we're fond of youCopy !req
500. and don't want
to embarrass you,Copy !req
501. but all this boasting,Copy !req
502. all this earnest showing off,
all this “me, me, me”...Copy !req
503. and all these sweeping
condemnationsCopy !req
504. hide a certain fragility
and uneaseCopy !req
505. and above all
a whole series of untruths.Copy !req
506. We care about you,
and we know our own untruths,Copy !req
507. and that's why, unlike you,Copy !req
508. we end up talking
about inane nonsense,Copy !req
509. because we have no intention
of facing our own pettiness.Copy !req
510. What untruths?Copy !req
511. Everything I said is true.
It's what I am, what I believe in.Copy !req
512. Please, I consider myself a gentleman.
Don't take away that only certainty.Copy !req
513. No, my friend. I want to hear it all:
What fragility? What untruths?Copy !req
514. I'm a woman with balls.
Out with it.Copy !req
515. “A woman with balls” would be
too much for any gentleman.Copy !req
516. Very well. You asked for it.
In random order:Copy !req
517. No one remembers your “civic vocation”
during your student days,Copy !req
518. whereas many recall
another vocation of yours,Copy !req
519. one that took place
in the university restrooms.Copy !req
520. You wrote about the Party because
you were its leader's mistress.Copy !req
521. And your 11 novels,Copy !req
522. brought out by a small publisher
subsidized by the PartyCopy !req
523. and reviewed by minor,
Party-affiliated newspapers,Copy !req
524. are insignificant.
Everyone says so.Copy !req
525. I'm not saying
my novelette was any better.Copy !req
526. I agree with you there.Copy !req
527. As for your relationship
with Eusebio -Copy !req
528. what relationship?
Eusebio loves Giordano.Copy !req
529. Everyone knows that.
He has for years.Copy !req
530. They eat together every day
at Arnaldo's, next to the coat rack,Copy !req
531. like sweethearts under an oak tree.
But you and Eusebio keep pretending.Copy !req
532. As for your dedication to your children
and all the sacrifices entailed...Copy !req
533. you work all week in TV, you go out
every night, including Mondays,Copy !req
534. when even popper dealers
don't venture out.Copy !req
535. You're never with your children,Copy !req
536. even on your long vacations.Copy !req
537. Plus you have
a butler, a waiter...Copy !req
538. a cook...Copy !req
539. a chauffeur who drives
the kids to school...Copy !req
540. and three babysitters.Copy !req
541. So how and when exactly
do you make any sacrifices?Copy !req
542. These are the untruths
and the fragility I mean.Copy !req
543. Stefa',
mother and woman.Copy !req
544. You're 53,
with a life in tatters,Copy !req
545. like the rest of us.Copy !req
546. So instead of lecturing us
and treating us with contempt,Copy !req
547. you should look at us
with affection.Copy !req
548. We're all on the brink
of despair.Copy !req
549. We can only look each other in the face,
keep each other company,Copy !req
550. kid each other a bit.Copy !req
551. Don't you agree?Copy !req
552. Son of a bitch!Copy !req
553. Egidio!Copy !req
554. You bastard!
I haven't seen you in 3O years!Copy !req
555. - I gotta talk to you.
- Later. Can't you see I'm busy?Copy !req
556. - Is this still your place?
- No, thank God, but I still manage it.Copy !req
557. You made it big!
You're always in the gossip rags.Copy !req
558. All the VIP parties.
A different girl every night.Copy !req
559. But you never come here.Copy !req
560. Get lost, will you?
We're having a serious talk.Copy !req
561. - Are you married?
- Married, divorced.Copy !req
562. - I've got a daughter, Ramona.
- Did you have to call her Ramona?Copy !req
563. You artists are all the same.Copy !req
564. I tell you I have a daughter,
and you moan about her name.Copy !req
565. What's wrong with “Ramona”?Copy !req
566. Nothing. It just sounds
a bit pretentious.Copy !req
567. There she is now.Copy !req
568. She makes me so mad.
I've told her a million times.Copy !req
569. “You're too old for this.”Copy !req
570. These hot young Polish girls
rule the scene now.Copy !req
571. They're experts at turning tricks.Copy !req
572. She's 42 and she wants to be
a sophisticated stripper.Copy !req
573. But the world's no longer
sophisticated. Right, Jep?Copy !req
574. Right.
Only you and I are.Copy !req
575. That's right, goddamn it!Copy !req
576. But she wants to keep
doing this for the money.Copy !req
577. I don't know why she needs it,
what she does with it.Copy !req
578. - Drugs?
- I wish. We'd have a common interest.Copy !req
579. No, she doesn't even
drink beer.Copy !req
580. I don't know
what she spends it on.Copy !req
581. She's always broke.
Do I sound like a loser?Copy !req
582. No, why?Copy !req
583. I can hear myself talk.
I sound like a loser.Copy !req
584. I'm nearly 70 and I have to work
till 6:00 a.m. every day.Copy !req
585. I swapped cocaine
for heroin 15 years ago.Copy !req
586. What an asshole!
A heroin junkie at 50!Copy !req
587. Could I be more of a loser?Copy !req
588. But I don't matter.Copy !req
589. It's her I worry about.
I love her.Copy !req
590. And I'm no loser there.
I'm a father.Copy !req
591. And like all fathers, I'm worried.Copy !req
592. What'll she do in a few years?Copy !req
593. She can't be a stripper at 50!Copy !req
594. Why don't you fix her up?
- Me?Copy !req
595. Don't you have any rich friendsCopy !req
596. looking for a beautiful wife?Copy !req
597. We could change her name.
That's no problem.Copy !req
598. You'd be doing me a big favor.Copy !req
599. - I'm a writer, not a pimp.
- Sorry, that was kinda crass.Copy !req
600. Daddy's little girl!Copy !req
601. This is my good friend,
Jep Gambardella.Copy !req
602. You two get acquainted.
I need to use the bathroom.Copy !req
603. I'll be right back.Copy !req
604. - It's a pleasure. I'm Jep.
- Ramona.Copy !req
605. If you want a girl, get a Pole.Copy !req
606. Are you kidding?Copy !req
607. Who said anything
about a girl? Not me.Copy !req
608. I really am an old friend
of your father's.Copy !req
609. - Dad has no friends.
- He used to.Copy !req
610. When I came to Rome, I'd wait
for my friends to leave to come here.Copy !req
611. Your father's a nice guy.
He taught me a lot.Copy !req
612. For example,
that vodka is uncouth.Copy !req
613. Dad knows
a lot of useless stuff.Copy !req
614. He asked me
to find you a husband.Copy !req
615. It's an obsession with him,
but I'm not looking for a husband.Copy !req
616. You should.Copy !req
617. Family's a beautiful thing.
- That's true.Copy !req
618. But I'm not out out
for beautiful things.Copy !req
619. What's wrong?Copy !req
620. I feel old.Copy !req
621. You're no spring chicken.Copy !req
622. Madame Ardant.Copy !req
623. One.Copy !req
624. - How are you?
- Very well.Copy !req
625. Just back from India.
I had the most amazing dysentery.Copy !req
626. Come to my divorce party.
There'll be burlesque dancers on elephants.Copy !req
627. Sure. What would
you like for a present?Copy !req
628. Just one great wish:
an end to war in the Middle East.Copy !req
629. - I'll do my best.
- Two.Copy !req
630. Seven hundred euros.Copy !req
631. Tell me, darling.Copy !req
632. I was thinking
perhaps my mouth.Copy !req
633. I'm soared. I've never
clone this before, Professor.Copy !req
634. Don't call me “professor.”Copy !req
635. Call me
“my friend” or “my love.”Copy !req
636. We all need love.Copy !req
637. What sign are you,
deeply intense lady?Copy !req
638. - Aquarius.
- I knew it.Copy !req
639. Want to go back 3O years, to when
it always rained in late August?Copy !req
640. Done.
- That's 700.Copy !req
641. Three.Copy !req
642. - You've been to see Casagrande.
- No, I don't even know him.Copy !req
643. You've betrayed me, darling.Copy !req
644. We're on a journey
together here,Copy !req
645. and you've interrupted it.Copy !req
646. This is the last time.Copy !req
647. Go on.Copy !req
648. Bye then.Copy !req
649. - Full price.
- Five.Copy !req
650. 1,200 euros.Copy !req
651. - How's your mom?
- Fine, thanks.Copy !req
652. - Seven.
- That's 700.Copy !req
653. You look a bit swollen.Copy !req
654. You're always in my heart.Copy !req
655. Seven hundred.Copy !req
656. - As handsome as ever.
- Ten.Copy !req
657. - You're my pride and joy.
- Thanks.Copy !req
658. Eleven.Copy !req
659. Professor, I'm here
about my hyperhidrosis.Copy !req
660. Where does this undesired
perspiration happen?Copy !req
661. On my hands.Copy !req
662. - Pray for me, Sister.
- You don't need my prayers.Copy !req
663. You don't know
how much of my incomeCopy !req
664. goes to the tax man.Copy !req
665. Go on, Sister.Copy !req
666. That's 700, Sister.Copy !req
667. Fourteen.Copy !req
668. - You spying on me?
- No, I was going to knock.Copy !req
669. - When?
- When you were more relaxed.Copy !req
670. - What brings you here?
- Nothing. Simple curiosity.Copy !req
671. - I told you what I think.
- I have no hidden agenda.Copy !req
672. You think every guy
who comes near you wants sex?Copy !req
673. Couldn't they just want to talk,Copy !req
674. driven by a simple
and harmless curiosity?Copy !req
675. - That's never happened before.
- It has now.Copy !req
676. Wouldn't armbands
be more comfortable?Copy !req
677. Sure, but they irritate
my armpits.Copy !req
678. You have plans for lunch?Copy !req
679. I'm going to my mom's
with my dad.Copy !req
680. Where's the dog?Copy !req
681. What dog?Copy !req
682. People buy houses like this
so they can have dogs.Copy !req
683. I had a Labrador,Copy !req
684. but nine years ago
he got fed up and left.Copy !req
685. Labradors are dumb.Copy !req
686. So are cooker spaniels.Copy !req
687. Hi, Jep.Copy !req
688. Hi, Antonello.Copy !req
689. - You know Venditti?
- I know everyone.Copy !req
690. It must be nice
knowing so many people.Copy !req
691. It's a sure way to be unhappy.Copy !req
692. Have people let you down?Copy !req
693. I've let them down.Copy !req
694. Andrea.
You here with your mom?Copy !req
695. - She's parking.
- How are you?Copy !req
696. Not well.Copy !req
697. Proust says that death
may come to us this afternoon.Copy !req
698. Proust is scary.Copy !req
699. Not tomorrow, not in a year,
but this very afternoon.Copy !req
700. It's already evening,
so it'd be tomorrow afternoon.Copy !req
701. And Turgenev said,
“Death cast his gaze my way.”Copy !req
702. Don't take
these writers so seriously.Copy !req
703. Who should I take seriously then?Copy !req
704. No one and nothing.
Except the menu, of course.Copy !req
705. Things are too complicated
for one individual to understand.Copy !req
706. Just because you don't understand
doesn't mean nobody can.Copy !req
707. - Your reply?
- What can I say?Copy !req
708. - Jep!
- Hello, Viola.Copy !req
709. - Good evening.
- Viola.Copy !req
710. Darling, why don't you
get us a table?Copy !req
711. How did he seem to you?Copy !req
712. He's better.
- Better.Copy !req
713. He's much better.
I'm so happy.Copy !req
714. Dinner on Thursday?
- Of course.Copy !req
715. Thursday
I'm inexplicably free.Copy !req
716. Did you hear
about Valentina Lemme?Copy !req
717. She's dating
her personal trainer.Copy !req
718. Really?
It doesn't show.Copy !req
719. - I invited her anyway.
- Are you sure?Copy !req
720. That woman's evil, like the devil.Copy !req
721. Really? How can that be?Copy !req
722. I see her at yoga
twice a week.Copy !req
723. Anyway, you'll come?
- Of course.Copy !req
724. - See you Thursday.
- Okay.Copy !req
725. Good-bye.Copy !req
726. Keep your eye on that table,Copy !req
727. but don't let them
catch you watching.Copy !req
728. Waiter?Copy !req
729. Champagne, please.
Cristal.Copy !req
730. You can't imagine
how much one learnsCopy !req
731. living amid a cluster
of religious institutions.Copy !req
732. So that was your first time?Copy !req
733. Yes. He didn't think
he'd been any good.Copy !req
734. Too quick, he said.Copy !req
735. So out of anger or to let off steam -
I'm not sure which -Copy !req
736. he played with a soccer ball
like a madman for an hour.Copy !req
737. What did you do?Copy !req
738. I didn't enjoy
making love with him,Copy !req
739. but watching him show off
like that was unforgettable.Copy !req
740. He got really good.
He played on the national team.Copy !req
741. Your dad said you spend
everything you earn. What on?Copy !req
742. You can tell me.Copy !req
743. Maybe one day I'll tell you.Copy !req
744. But why didn't you ever write
another book?Copy !req
745. Because I went out
too much at night.Copy !req
746. Rome can really
waste your time.Copy !req
747. It's distracting.
Writing takes focus and quiet.Copy !req
748. That's not much of an answer.Copy !req
749. You have peace and quiet here.
It's like being in the country.Copy !req
750. I wrote in short spurts...Copy !req
751. sprinter-style.Copy !req
752. I told you
about my first time...Copy !req
753. but you've told me nothing.
it's your turn now.Copy !req
754. On an island one summer.Copy !req
755. I was 18. She was 20.Copy !req
756. At the lighthouse, at night.Copy !req
757. I went to kiss her.
She turned her face away.Copy !req
758. I was disappointed.Copy !req
759. But then she turned
to look at me.Copy !req
760. She brushed my lips.Copy !req
761. She smelled of flowers.Copy !req
762. I didn't move.Copy !req
763. I couldn't have moved.Copy !req
764. Then she took a step backCopy !req
765. and said -Copy !req
766. She stepped back...Copy !req
767. and said...Copy !req
768. I'm going home. It's late.Copy !req
769. Want to go to a party with me
tomorrow night?Copy !req
770. Outstanding!Copy !req
771. Were you trying
to kill us all with anxiety?Copy !req
772. You may not believe this,
but I love knife throwers.Copy !req
773. A true likeness,
especially the hips.Copy !req
774. A masterpiece, Geronimo.
It'll look great above the mantelpiece.Copy !req
775. God bless you, Jep!Copy !req
776. This is Ramona.Copy !req
777. What a unique
and marvelous creature.Copy !req
778. - Is he putting me on?
- Hard to say.Copy !req
779. I meant it.Copy !req
780. I'm just sorry
you missed Geronimo D.Copy !req
781. We'll get over it.Copy !req
782. Make yourselves at home.Copy !req
783. - Who is that asshole?
- Lillo De Gregorio...Copy !req
784. the greatest modern art collector
in this country of degenerates.Copy !req
785. What's Jep's
floozy friend wearing?Copy !req
786. I don't know.Copy !req
787. Jep's becoming
a bit of a disappointment.Copy !req
788. - Good evening, Countess.
- Hello. You're looking well.Copy !req
789. I wish I could say
the same for the count.Copy !req
790. Hello, ladies.Copy !req
791. Are you crazy?
You're distracting my artist.Copy !req
792. Dad, we're having fun.Copy !req
793. Carmelina,
come do a little work.Copy !req
794. Morn, I want to play here.Copy !req
795. - Has this human being gone mad?
- We'll work this out.Copy !req
796. - I'm staying here.
- You realize what you're saying?Copy !req
797. Europe's greatest
gallery owners are outside.Copy !req
798. If you show them what you can do,
ours will be a happy family.Copy !req
799. I'm happy now,
and I want to be a vet.Copy !req
800. Off to bed, you two.Copy !req
801. See that?
My kids are going to bed.Copy !req
802. Come on.Copy !req
803. Then I'll go to bed too.
I'm a kid too.Copy !req
804. She blushes and says,
“Forgive me.Copy !req
805. I didn't realize
you loved me so much.Copy !req
806. My ignorance is obscene.”Copy !req
807. He looks at her
reassuringly and says,Copy !req
808. “Let me plead for our love.”Copy !req
809. How's that for the start
of the second act?Copy !req
810. It's a pile of shit.Copy !req
811. That little girl was crying.Copy !req
812. What are you talking about?
That little girl earns millions.Copy !req
813. Excuse me a moment.Copy !req
814. Hi, Stefano.Copy !req
815. Hi, Jep.Copy !req
816. - Caterings gone downhill.
- Rome's gone downhill.Copy !req
817. Straight downhill.Copy !req
818. Do you have
your case with you?Copy !req
819. - Always.
- You up for it?Copy !req
820. See that?Copy !req
821. Stefano has the keysCopy !req
822. to the most beautiful
buildings in Rome.Copy !req
823. - Is he a doorman?
- No.Copy !req
824. He's not a doorman.Copy !req
825. He's friends with princesses.Copy !req
826. Ready?Copy !req
827. Come with me.Copy !req
828. Good evening, Princesses.Copy !req
829. Good evening.Copy !req
830. How come you have
all these keys?Copy !req
831. Because...Copy !req
832. I'm a trustworthy person.Copy !req
833. You see that? It looked huge,
but it's actually tiny.Copy !req
834. Stand still
while I take your picture.Copy !req
835. That one was no good.
Smile.Copy !req
836. You got it?Copy !req
837. Now I do.Copy !req
838. Many people think
that a funeralCopy !req
839. is a random event,
with no rules.Copy !req
840. That isn't true.Copy !req
841. A funeral is the high-society event
par excellence.Copy !req
842. You must never forget
that at a funeral...Copy !req
843. you're appearing onstage.Copy !req
844. Nice.Copy !req
845. But I'd try
the other one on too.Copy !req
846. You must wait patientlyCopy !req
847. until family members have
freed themselves from the throng.Copy !req
848. Once you've made certain
your audience is seated,Copy !req
849. only at that point may you
offer your condolences.Copy !req
850. This way everyone will see you.Copy !req
851. You take
the grieving relative's hands,Copy !req
852. or you place your hands
on their arms.Copy !req
853. You whisper something
in their ear,Copy !req
854. a comforting phrase
uttered with authority.Copy !req
855. For example...Copy !req
856. “In the days to come,Copy !req
857. when a great emptiness
comes over you,Copy !req
858. know that you can
always count on me.”Copy !req
859. The public will wonder...Copy !req
860. “What's Jep Gambardella saying?”Copy !req
861. This is definitely
the right dress.Copy !req
862. You're allowed to retireCopy !req
863. to a corner by yourself,Copy !req
864. as if to contemplate
your own grief.Copy !req
865. But here too
great shrewdness is called for.Copy !req
866. The spot chosen
must be isolatedCopy !req
867. yet clearly visible
to the public.Copy !req
868. Furthermore,
a good performanceCopy !req
869. is devoid
of all extraneous elements.Copy !req
870. Thus the fundamental rule:Copy !req
871. One must never cry
at a funeral...Copy !req
872. for one must never upstage
the family's sorrow.Copy !req
873. That is forbidden...Copy !req
874. because it's immoral.Copy !req
875. Viola.Copy !req
876. In the days to come,Copy !req
877. when a great emptiness
comes over you...Copy !req
878. know that you can always
count on me.Copy !req
879. I now ask Andrea's friends
to come forward...Copy !req
880. so that the coffin
may be carried outside.Copy !req
881. Your back!Copy !req
882. It was nice not making love.Copy !req
883. It was nice loving each other.Copy !req
884. I'd really forgotten
what loving someone was about.Copy !req
885. I spend all my money
on medical treatments.Copy !req
886. Your breakfast.Copy !req
887. Get up. I'm taking you to see
a sea monster today.Copy !req
888. Your breakfast.Copy !req
889. Five more minutes.Copy !req
890. You see the sea?Copy !req
891. Where?Copy !req
892. On the ceiling.Copy !req
893. Yes, I see it.Copy !req
894. Who'll look after you now?Copy !req
895. I'm sorry about your daughter.
My condolences.Copy !req
896. I've spent all my summersCopy !req
897. making plans for September.Copy !req
898. No longer.Copy !req
899. Now I spend the summerCopy !req
900. remembering plans I'd made
that faded awayCopy !req
901. due partly to lazinessCopy !req
902. and partly to carelessness.Copy !req
903. What's wrong
with feeling nostalgic?Copy !req
904. It's the only distraction left for those
who have no faith in the future.Copy !req
905. Without rain...Copy !req
906. August is coming to an end,Copy !req
907. and September isn't yet here.Copy !req
908. And I'm so ordinary.Copy !req
909. But there's no need to worry.Copy !req
910. It's all right. It's okay.Copy !req
911. Thank you.Copy !req
912. Jep!Copy !req
913. What are you doing here?Copy !req
914. Arturo.Copy !req
915. Why are you here?Copy !req
916. Can't you see?
I'm rehearsing my magic show.Copy !req
917. This is tomorrow's special number:
the disappearing giraffe.Copy !req
918. You can make
that giraffe disappear?Copy !req
919. Of course I can.Copy !req
920. Then make me disappear too.Copy !req
921. J9P—'Copy !req
922. if I could really
make people disappear,Copy !req
923. you think I'd still be here at my age
playing these circus games?Copy !req
924. It's just a trick.Copy !req
925. It's just a trick.Copy !req
926. Romano, how did it go?Copy !req
927. It went well.
They clapped.Copy !req
928. I'm glad.Copy !req
929. Why do you look so sad?
- I'm not sad.Copy !req
930. What's with the giraffe?Copy !req
931. For a magic show.
I'll come see your show tomorrow.Copy !req
932. I'm not doing
the show tomorrow.Copy !req
933. Why?
You said it went well.Copy !req
934. I'm leaving.Copy !req
935. I'm going back
to my home town for good.Copy !req
936. I'm not even stopping by my place.
I'm leaving it all.Copy !req
937. I've lived in this city
for 40 years.Copy !req
938. And in the end I thought...Copy !req
939. the only person
who deserved a good-byeCopy !req
940. was you.Copy !req
941. What do you mean,
you're leaving?Copy !req
942. Roma'...
why are you leaving?Copy !req
943. Rome has been
a real disappointment.Copy !req
944. Bye, JED-Copy !req
945. See?Copy !req
946. - Want some coffee?
- No, thanks. I won't take up your time.Copy !req
947. I came to ask you something.Copy !req
948. Go ahead.Copy !req
949. Why did Elisa leave me?Copy !req
950. I don't know.Copy !req
951. Didn't she say anything
about it in her diary?Copy !req
952. No, I don't think so.Copy !req
953. Would you be offended
if I asked to read it?Copy !req
954. No, I wouldn't be offended.Copy !req
955. In fact, I'd understand
very well.Copy !req
956. But I'm afraid I can't.
- Why not?Copy !req
957. I threw it away
a few days after the funeral.Copy !req
958. May I introduce my girlfriend?Copy !req
959. Nice to meet you.
My name's Polina.Copy !req
960. Like Polina in Dostoyevsky's
The Gambler.Copy !req
961. What will you two do tonight?Copy !req
962. Nothing.Copy !req
963. Polina's going
to finish ironing.Copy !req
964. Then we'll have
a glass of red wine,Copy !req
965. watch a little TV,Copy !req
966. and go to bed.Copy !req
967. What about you?Copy !req
968. I'll have quite a few drinks,Copy !req
969. but not enough
to become a nuisance.Copy !req
970. And then...Copy !req
971. when you two are getting up,Copy !req
972. I'll be going to bed.Copy !req
973. What lovely people you are!Copy !req
974. I love conga lines!Copy !req
975. I'll fuck you!Copy !req
976. “Who am I?”Copy !req
977. That's how
one of Breton's novels began.Copy !req
978. And of course in the book
there's no reply.Copy !req
979. Did you hear about Viola?
- What?Copy !req
980. She's donating everything
to the church.Copy !req
981. She helps out at the parish
and is going to volunteer in Africa.Copy !req
982. The conga lines
at our partiesCopy !req
983. are the best in Rome.Copy !req
984. - The best?
- That's right.Copy !req
985. Because
they don't go anywhere.Copy !req
986. - How is it?
- Really great, Jep.Copy !req
987. Come on, it's all gone.Copy !req
988. Why did you leave me?Copy !req
989. Please,
I want an explanation.Copy !req
990. Go away! Get out!Copy !req
991. You see all these people?Copy !req
992. They can't do anything.Copy !req
993. But there's something
I do well.Copy !req
994. Something we do well.Copy !req
995. How sweet!Copy !req
996. For years people
have been asking why I don't writeCopy !req
997. another novel.Copy !req
998. But look at these people.Copy !req
999. This Wildlife.Copy !req
1000. This is my life...Copy !req
1001. and it's nothing.Copy !req
1002. Flaubert wanted to write a book
about nothing but failed,Copy !req
1003. so how am I supposed to?Copy !req
1004. It's good.
Thanks, rascal.Copy !req
1005. What inspired this exhibit?Copy !req
1006. Honestly,
the idea wasn't mine.Copy !req
1007. My father came up with it.Copy !req
1008. When I was born, he started
taking pictures of me every day.Copy !req
1009. One picture per day.Copy !req
1010. He never forgot,
not even once.Copy !req
1011. From the age of 14 on,
I kept it up.Copy !req
1012. I took pictures
of myself every day.Copy !req
1013. Have a look.Copy !req
1014. - Cardinal.
- Your Eminence.Copy !req
1015. Cardinal, when will
the saint arrive in Rome?Copy !req
1016. On Thursday, but please
don't call her the saint.Copy !req
1017. She is a saint,Copy !req
1018. but not technically.Copy !req
1019. Tell me something:
Who's that cardinal?Copy !req
1020. - That's Bellucci.
- Bellucci?Copy !req
1021. The one in line to be -
- Exactly.Copy !req
1022. The papal throne awaits him.Copy !req
1023. I met him at Giada Ricci's
carnival party.Copy !req
1024. It's said that as a young man
he was Europe's best exorcist.Copy !req
1025. - You pulling my leg?
- No.Copy !req
1026. I never joke about the devil.Copy !req
1027. I am very, very bored.Copy !req
1028. We're having
a very, very good time.Copy !req
1029. You cut up the duckCopy !req
1030. and brown it over a high flame
for 15 minutes.Copy !req
1031. At that point -Copy !req
1032. Cardinal, do you remember me?
Lello Cava.Copy !req
1033. We met
at Giada Ricci's party.Copy !req
1034. I was dressed as a hooker.Copy !req
1035. Come, everyone.
They're serving lunch.Copy !req
1036. I'd like you meet
my writer friend,Copy !req
1037. Jep Gambardella.
- A writer!Copy !req
1038. This country needs writers.Copy !req
1039. Actually I thought
it needed priests more.Copy !req
1040. Help...Copy !req
1041. - May I ask you a question?
- Of course, my dear man.Copy !req
1042. For some time now...Copy !req
1043. from a spiritual point of view -Copy !req
1044. - Shall we see the skunks later?
- Absolutely! I'll lead the way!Copy !req
1045. I know the grounds well.Copy !req
1046. Jep Gambardella,
king of socialites, you're losing it.Copy !req
1047. I've been losing it for 4O years.
It's a steady decline.Copy !req
1048. Tell me something, Stefa'.Copy !req
1049. Have we ever slept together?Copy !req
1050. Of course not.Copy !req
1051. That's a crying shame.Copy !req
1052. We have to rectify that.Copy !req
1053. Idiot!Copy !req
1054. Thank goodness.Copy !req
1055. There's something wonderful left
for us to enjoy together.Copy !req
1056. The future is
a marvelous thing, Stefa'.Copy !req
1057. To be honest, Catellani hasn't had
much worsted fabric in recent years.Copy !req
1058. In my opinion, Rebecchfs still
the best tailor in Rome.Copy !req
1059. - Who are you?
- A hard-working manCopy !req
1060. who, while you play
the artist,Copy !req
1061. and have fun with your friends,Copy !req
1062. keeps this country going.Copy !req
1063. I keep this country going,Copy !req
1064. but many people
don't yet understand that.Copy !req
1065. Imagine that, Dadina.Copy !req
1066. My neighbor was Giulio Moneta,
one of the world'sCopy !req
1067. 10 most-wanted men,Copy !req
1068. and I never realized it.Copy !req
1069. You've changed.
You're always thinking.Copy !req
1070. Maybe I should do
what Romano did.Copy !req
1071. I'm not fit for this life
or this city anymore.Copy !req
1072. No one's fit for shit, Jep.
Take it from the queen of misfits.Copy !req
1073. Everything around me is dying.Copy !req
1074. People who are younger
than me, things.Copy !req
1075. Right before my eyes,
and I -Copy !req
1076. And you're suffering,
and you don't understand.Copy !req
1077. How's the soup, Jeppino?Copy !req
1078. The soup's good.Copy !req
1079. Why did you call me Jeppino?
No one's called me that in ages.Copy !req
1080. Because every now and then,Copy !req
1081. a friend should help a friend feel
like he did as a child.Copy !req
1082. How can I make you feel
like a little girl?Copy !req
1083. No need for that.
I feel like that every day.Copy !req
1084. I've been blessed to see the world
from that perspective for 60 years.Copy !req
1085. You know of Sister Maria,
the African missionary,Copy !req
1086. the one they call the saint?Copy !req
1087. Sure, she's coming to Rome
to receive some honor.Copy !req
1088. Exactly. She's only granted
three interviews in all her life.Copy !req
1089. Yours will be memorable.
- Look how I did with Giulio Moneta!Copy !req
1090. This is different.Copy !req
1091. She studied in Italy as a girl
and speaks Italian.Copy !req
1092. She read your novel
back then and loved it.Copy !req
1093. She wants to meet you. I organized
a dinner at your house tomorrow.Copy !req
1094. Did I do well?
- Very well.Copy !req
1095. Tomorrow I'll have the honor
of dining with her.Copy !req
1096. - At the Holy Father's?
- No.Copy !req
1097. At Jep Gambardella's.Copy !req
1098. You see?
The pope even hadCopy !req
1099. the cloistered nuns come.Copy !req
1100. Sisters, sisters, sisters!Copy !req
1101. Sisters, sisters.
Perfect.Copy !req
1102. The Red Cross nurses!Copy !req
1103. What robust women!Copy !req
1104. Handsome young men!Copy !req
1105. Very nice.Copy !req
1106. Let's go.Copy !req
1107. The saint's assistant called.Copy !req
1108. The saint would like Count and
Countess Odescalchi to come too.Copy !req
1109. They treated her like a sister
when she lived here.Copy !req
1110. - You know them?
- Of course, but they're not here.Copy !req
1111. The nobility are all in London,
at Philip's granddaughter's wedding.Copy !req
1112. Let's call the Colonnas of Reggie!Copy !req
1113. The nobility for hire?
They're dead.Copy !req
1114. Nonsense.
They're immortal.Copy !req
1115. The saint won't even notice.
It's been 70 years.Copy !req
1116. Count Colonna speaking.Copy !req
1117. Yes, we're available.Copy !req
1118. Ah, for tonight.Copy !req
1119. Our rate is 250 euros
per person for the evening,Copy !req
1120. plus the cost of a rental car.Copy !req
1121. What you suggest would be
a bit humiliating for us.Copy !req
1122. We're willing to be hired
as the Colonnas of Reggio.Copy !req
1123. But passing ourselves off
as the Odescalchis...Copy !req
1124. I don't know.Copy !req
1125. We were at war
for two centuries.Copy !req
1126. It feels immoral.Copy !req
1127. Cut at least
12 pieces of rabbit,Copy !req
1128. leaving aside
the kidneys, liver, and head.Copy !req
1129. Gently brown.Copy !req
1130. Don't forget thyme,
bay leaves, and rosemary.Copy !req
1131. Then add red wine,
Ligurian olives, and pine nuts.Copy !req
1132. And in one hour you have
Ligurian-style rabbit.Copy !req
1133. Sister Maria, what convent
are you staying at?Copy !req
1134. Actually,
we're at the Hassler HotelCopy !req
1135. near the Spanish Steps,Copy !req
1136. but Sister Maria
finds it uncomfortable.Copy !req
1137. I've never heard the Hassler
called “uncomfortable.”Copy !req
1138. Oh, it's very comfortable...Copy !req
1139. but Sister Maria isn't used
to sleeping in a bed.Copy !req
1140. She sleeps on a cardboard pallet
on the floor.Copy !req
1141. Do you have any visits planned?Copy !req
1142. Sister Maria
will of course climbCopy !req
1143. the Scala Sancta
at St. John's on her knees.Copy !req
1144. Have you done that?
- I'd have liked to,Copy !req
1145. but I have a bad knee.Copy !req
1146. Orthopedic problems
are negligibleCopy !req
1147. in the light of
the partial indulgence affordedCopy !req
1148. by the Scam Sancta.Copy !req
1149. That's true.Copy !req
1150. Now, another specialty
of mine is lamb with -Copy !req
1151. Does Sister Maria
still work with the sick?Copy !req
1152. Twenty-two hours a day,Copy !req
1153. every day-Copy !req
1154. She washes them, feeds them.
You ought to see her.Copy !req
1155. Despite her age,
she doesn't walk, she runs.Copy !req
1156. She's tired now,Copy !req
1157. but only because
she's not with her patients.Copy !req
1158. How old is she?Copy !req
1159. She'll be 104 in October.Copy !req
1160. - That's a lot.
- I thought she was much older.Copy !req
1161. Longevity, like everything else,Copy !req
1162. is no accident.Copy !req
1163. About Sister Maria's
interview with Jep -Copy !req
1164. Interview?Copy !req
1165. There must be
some misunderstanding.Copy !req
1166. Sister Maria hasn't granted
interviews since 1971,Copy !req
1167. after certain people
misunderstoodCopy !req
1168. the reason
for her mission in Chad.Copy !req
1169. Of course, but considering
her admiration for Jep's work -Copy !req
1170. You told rne she enjoyed
The Human Apparatus.Copy !req
1171. She found it
beautiful and fierce...Copy !req
1172. like the world of men.Copy !req
1173. Great! There would be no risk
of any misunderstanding,Copy !req
1174. Sister Maria can review the text -Copy !req
1175. - No, I'm sorry.
- Don't insist.Copy !req
1176. I'm sorry if certain
false hopes were aroused,Copy !req
1177. but there's absolutely
no question of any interview.Copy !req
1178. Why do you do all the talking?Copy !req
1179. Why not let Sister Maria talk?Copy !req
1180. Ma'am...Copy !req
1181. I took a vow of poverty.Copy !req
1182. And you don't talkCopy !req
1183. about poverty.Copy !req
1184. You live it.Copy !req
1185. Such true and righteous
and powerful words!Copy !req
1186. Do you need anything,
ma'am?Copy !req
1187. - She needs the bathroom.
- It's on the left.Copy !req
1188. The change of diet
isn't good for her.Copy !req
1189. In Mali
Sister Maria only eatsCopy !req
1190. 11/2 ounces
of plant roots a day.Copy !req
1191. Me too sometimes,
in the evening, as a light meal,Copy !req
1192. I fix some splendid
bitter roots with lemon.Copy !req
1193. You scrape the roots clean
with a knifeCopy !req
1194. and cut them
into small chunks -Copy !req
1195. Cardinal, remember
when we met at that wedding?Copy !req
1196. You were there too.Copy !req
1197. I felt the need to ask youCopy !req
1198. about matters
close to my heartCopy !req
1199. involving faithCopy !req
1200. and the depths of spirituality.Copy !req
1201. But then you got distracted.Copy !req
1202. You can ask me now.Copy !req
1203. - No, there's no point.
- Why?Copy !req
1204. I'd be very disappointed
to discoverCopy !req
1205. you actually had no answers.Copy !req
1206. I'm just saying it's a possibility,Copy !req
1207. and I think -Copy !req
1208. Anyway—Copy !req
1209. I apologize for earlier.Copy !req
1210. There is one question
I'd really like to ask you.Copy !req
1211. Are the rumors true?Copy !req
1212. That you were a truly great...Copy !req
1213. exorcist?Copy !req
1214. Sister Maria!Copy !req
1215. Sister Maria!Copy !req
1216. Saint.Copy !req
1217. Stop saying “saint”!
Her name is Sister Maria.Copy !req
1218. Sister Maria.Copy !req
1219. Where's that bitch hiding?Copy !req
1220. Sister Maria!Copy !req
1221. Come, Elisabetta.
Let's go to bed.Copy !req
1222. You go ahead.
I'm going upstairs for a moment.Copy !req
1223. Don't be too late.Copy !req
1224. In this room, in 1930,Copy !req
1225. Princess Antonietta gave birth
to her only daughter,Copy !req
1226. Elisabetta Colonna of Reggie.Copy !req
1227. The princess died
after giving birth.Copy !req
1228. Young Elisabetta,
in these opulent rooms,Copy !req
1229. led a happy
and carefree childhood.Copy !req
1230. But a few years later,Copy !req
1231. Prince Erminio's
financial hardshipsCopy !req
1232. forced him
to sell the property.Copy !req
1233. They're migrating west,Copy !req
1234. but now they're resting.Copy !req
1235. Did you knowCopy !req
1236. that I know
the Christian namesCopy !req
1237. of all of these birds?Copy !req
1238. Why...Copy !req
1239. did you never write
another book?Copy !req
1240. I was looking
for the great beauty...Copy !req
1241. but...Copy !req
1242. I never found it.Copy !req
1243. Do you know...Copy !req
1244. why...Copy !req
1245. I only eat roots?Copy !req
1246. No, why?Copy !req
1247. Because roots are important.Copy !req
1248. Now there's something
I want to show you.Copy !req
1249. This is how it always ends:Copy !req
1250. in death.Copy !req
1251. But first there was life...Copy !req
1252. hidden beneath
the blah, blah, blah.Copy !req
1253. Everything's settled
to the bottomCopy !req
1254. beneath all the hubbub
and noise.Copy !req
1255. The silence and the emotion...Copy !req
1256. the excitement and the fear...Copy !req
1257. the fleeting and sporadic
flashes of beauty...Copy !req
1258. amid the wretched squalor
and human misery -Copy !req
1259. all buried beneath
the awkward predicamentCopy !req
1260. of existing in this world,
blah, blah, blah.Copy !req
1261. What lies beyond lies beyond.Copy !req
1262. That is not my concern.Copy !req
1263. Therefore...Copy !req
1264. let this novel begin.Copy !req
1265. After all...Copy !req
1266. it's just a trick.Copy !req
1267. Yes...Copy !req
1268. it's just a trick.Copy !req