In this blog I am pleased to host a Swiss book publisher's "Olive Tree", written by Giorgio Tognola, and dedicated to Mesolcina and Calanca, two realities of the Grisons, who I treated in the book " A memory for emigrants' quote in the series Questions of identity.
For more than thirty years, he taught for ten years and is retired, spends his time taking care of the family - scattered between Ticino , Geneva and Africa -, garden, orchard and there are walks in the woods looking for mushrooms. Find some 'space for browsing in libraries and archives of the Italian-speaking Switzerland. We are talking about George Tognola , a native of Grono, who lately with the Olive Tree Publishing has published the book "Miserere mei", where he collected four tales set in the past centuries in Calanca and Mason valley, and as the official participants, humble women condemned as witches, peasants and religious.
Prof. Tognola, because that title to his book?
This is the title of the first story in the book and added that, in a sense, I "stole" the great Milanese poet Carlo Porta.
In that period he wrote the stories included in the volume?
The four stories in the book were designed for so many years, then, after they have ceased my activities as a teacher, I found time to write and present a select group of friends.
In his stories there is a mixture of truth drawn from his archival research and imagination. Why this formula?
Thinking of my potential readers, I wanted to make the thin paper that I consulted a bit 'more attractive stitching around some little something extra.
What documents consulted? Many
! For example, I have studied the record of an interrogation of an alleged witch found in the narrow store Roveredo (Graubünden Italian), the doctor's shabby quinternetto Soazza now housed in the 'Archive to Make "Mesocco," free defunctorum "held by the Capuchins of Santa Maria gullies, the transcript of the vice-Capuchin Mesolcina and Calanca which lies in the Archives of the Capuchin friars of the Ascent of Lugano, the old lady who will let me copy the text of the notebooks published Gioiero Antonio Grigionitaliani. All these documents have suggested to me the stories. As a teacher I could hook up - unfortunately not always - the attention of students with good stories of the historic Eileen Power (1899-1940), and it is thanks to the historic English that I could introduce and develop the themes that the program is not always easy history provided in the four years of college. My four stories have grown even thinking of "Life in the Middle Ages" (Einaudi, 1966), "There were too" (Bovolenta, 1981), "Boys in history (Bovolenta, 1982) and three books by Eileen Power.
In the first story describes life in the mountains and the witchcraft trials. On the latter, and as a historian, what are your considerations?
The constant misery, insecurity, being at the mercy of the forces of nature, the fragility and fear related to the mountain world, ignorance, hallucinations can only partially explain this very complex phenomenon we know as "hunting witch. " These explanations are insufficient, as the persecution of witches was rather an act of social intolerance; it coincided with moments of fear (Lutheran heresy, plague, war, and more) in which men see their power fail, the men no longer think with clarity, take refuge on immutable positions, on prejudice. In clear weather you can afford the luxury of skepticism, but when the storm rages men take refuge in conservatism, orthodoxy. These are a bit 'my remarks about the phenomenon of witchcraft.
In the story "History of a valley dweller in crude ex-jacket", dedicated to Colonel John and Antonio Gioiero Papal Knight, a native of Calanca, what is the boundary between reality and fantasy? For the story of Antonio
Gioiero I based on the book of the canon Simonet, Roveredo published in 1926, on the rider's head, the son of the records Gioiero Marca. Missing documents (and could not be more) on childhood, adolescence, education, the beginning of his military career, about forbidden love and his two illegitimate children. The meeting with the priest Nicolò Rusca is also a figment of my imagination, although some historians suggest the presence of a Swiss Gioiero in the College of Milan. The death caused by poison has been documented, but you do not know the person or persons who have given.
The Mesolcina and Calanca seen by a historian and writer. What misses the old days and what would change, instead of every day life?
I am neither historian nor a writer and do not regret anything from the past (the youth that no longer exists, that yes). On the territory that I knew in my youth the forest, the forest, are reclaiming the fallow fields, meadows, pastures, farms nuclei; villages in the memory of the past, the kind of life characterized by the labors of women, migration of males is a faint memory of a few. Maybe to better appreciate what you have in this century some 'memory of the past would not hurt.
In some passages you have used slang expressions. What future do you see for the dialect of the lower Mesolcina?
In the first story I've also used the dialect. I suggested it to the writer Laura Pariani of "The Voice of the country" and "The lady of the hogs." I used it because it seemed the most appropriate language in the mouths of farmers, mountaineers of the time. The dialect used now seems a bit 'a fad destined to succumb to the global world all'incalzare. The dialect was so the language of the mother, the feelings, the timetable dictated by the Church, but it was mainly the language of work inextricably linked to the territory, the work of peasants and mountaineers, lumberjacks, activities in the manner described by the stories that no longer exist.
To promote and protect the local culture is very important the role played by publishers. In light of this experience as the author of a book, how does the publishing scene in the Italian-speaking Switzerland? That is, especially for young authors mesolcinesi, there are, from his point of view, real opportunities to write, publish, promote and distribute books?
I can not comment on the role of publishers in the Italian-speaking Switzerland, I do not know. I had read stories to my four friends, who advised me to propose to a publisher, I did it and the first publishing house requested me posted them.
Last question: a good reason for proposing the reading of his stories.
Some people liked it! You can also try to read them.
[ by Carlo Silvano ]
George Tognola , "Miserere mei - Pages of life and mesolcinese calanchina between witchcraft, religion, politics and emigration 1500-1700," published by Editions of Olive in Balerna series "stray", pp. 123, CHF 25, Euro 17.
Professor. Tognola has also written a small book (dedicated to the municipality in which he lives for over thirty years), entitled "Moments in the history of Bedano" (2003), is currently preparing a historical path of the village of Red calanchino. For more info visit http://www.ilmoesano.ch/dove enclosing a review of the book signed by Cesare Santi.
