austraLasia #3263
15 August 2013 -- If you have read the Memoirs of the Oratory and enjoyed them (and who wouldn't, noting Don Bosco's distinct capabilities as a story-teller par excellence) then you simply must read Severino, or the Adventures of an Alpine Lad (as told by himself and as presented by Fr John Bosco). If you do not know Italian and even if you do, chances are you have never read it - and at best seen fleeting reference to it. As of today, and perhaps it might be seen as a gift for Don Bosco's birthday, it is in English for the first time. But really, it is a must read!
Why, you ask? This one is different from the Savio, Magone Besucco set - because Severino is different. If the first three are 'pious', even with Magone's rough edges, 'Severino' is picaresque. He attended the Oratory before it finally settled down, so the descriptions of the weekend gatherings in the Filippi field, the walks to the Superga... all add detail to the MO. And while Severino was no Savio he was the typical boy that Don Bosco set out to save from the thousand risks an eleven-year old ran (Severino's age at the time) when hanging loose in Turin. Severino does turn out ok in the end, right at the end, but there are some surprises in store amongst those adventures! Bear with the extensive historical detail at certain points - there are always twists and turns around the corner.
There are some fascinating scenes in this 70 page or so 'novel', which might even have Paul Theroux entranced, though one of this latter's more famous lines is not one that Don Bosco agrees with where Severino is concerned: “You go away for a long time and return a different person - you never come all the way back”. You will thoroughly enjoy the account of the long haul from Pinerolo up through Aosta to the heights of the St Bernard Pass (the Gran S. Bernardo) all on foot of course, the day or so pause with the monks at the hospice, and the famous account of Barrì, the dog who saved many a traveller. Severino hopes you will be horrified (that's what he says he wants from you) by a sordid escapade in Geneva - and you probably will be!
One small warning: this is not what you would call a politically correct piece of writing in ecumenical times. If you have any Protestant friends and want to keep them, this is not summer reading for them. It does, of course, have to be understood in its historical context and DB does try his best to soften things at the very end with a comment such as: "let us be of one heart and one soul and ask God to show us and them his mercy. May he grant Catholics perseverance and may he lead those in error to the right path", but the rest of it is rather 'us' and 'them' one has to admit. Still and all, what you didn't know about the Waldensians, you will certainly know after reading this!
One wonders why this particular work of Don Bosco's has not received more attention up till now. Could it be some of the reasons hinted at above? While he claims there was a real Severino, laces his narrative with some real dates and places and even uses ellipsis if he wishes not to name something, tells us elsewhere (at least as recorded in the MB vol 9 ch 5) that he can name the pastors, and provide documentation about one of Severino's friends - who unfortunately dies, and dies unfortunately - it is also clear that Don Bosco is using this as a platform for apologetics, historical knowledge and, well, yes, just a rollicking good story with the squalid and the poverty-stricken, the jollity and the conviviality all rolled into one in the best Dickensian tradition.
Should you want a nicely-presented html version, don't rely on the SDL html extracted style - ask for one and we can send it to you.
15 August 2013 -- If you have read the Memoirs of the Oratory and enjoyed them (and who wouldn't, noting Don Bosco's distinct capabilities as a story-teller par excellence) then you simply must read Severino, or the Adventures of an Alpine Lad (as told by himself and as presented by Fr John Bosco). If you do not know Italian and even if you do, chances are you have never read it - and at best seen fleeting reference to it. As of today, and perhaps it might be seen as a gift for Don Bosco's birthday, it is in English for the first time. But really, it is a must read!
Why, you ask? This one is different from the Savio, Magone Besucco set - because Severino is different. If the first three are 'pious', even with Magone's rough edges, 'Severino' is picaresque. He attended the Oratory before it finally settled down, so the descriptions of the weekend gatherings in the Filippi field, the walks to the Superga... all add detail to the MO. And while Severino was no Savio he was the typical boy that Don Bosco set out to save from the thousand risks an eleven-year old ran (Severino's age at the time) when hanging loose in Turin. Severino does turn out ok in the end, right at the end, but there are some surprises in store amongst those adventures! Bear with the extensive historical detail at certain points - there are always twists and turns around the corner.
There are some fascinating scenes in this 70 page or so 'novel', which might even have Paul Theroux entranced, though one of this latter's more famous lines is not one that Don Bosco agrees with where Severino is concerned: “You go away for a long time and return a different person - you never come all the way back”. You will thoroughly enjoy the account of the long haul from Pinerolo up through Aosta to the heights of the St Bernard Pass (the Gran S. Bernardo) all on foot of course, the day or so pause with the monks at the hospice, and the famous account of Barrì, the dog who saved many a traveller. Severino hopes you will be horrified (that's what he says he wants from you) by a sordid escapade in Geneva - and you probably will be!
One small warning: this is not what you would call a politically correct piece of writing in ecumenical times. If you have any Protestant friends and want to keep them, this is not summer reading for them. It does, of course, have to be understood in its historical context and DB does try his best to soften things at the very end with a comment such as: "let us be of one heart and one soul and ask God to show us and them his mercy. May he grant Catholics perseverance and may he lead those in error to the right path", but the rest of it is rather 'us' and 'them' one has to admit. Still and all, what you didn't know about the Waldensians, you will certainly know after reading this!
One wonders why this particular work of Don Bosco's has not received more attention up till now. Could it be some of the reasons hinted at above? While he claims there was a real Severino, laces his narrative with some real dates and places and even uses ellipsis if he wishes not to name something, tells us elsewhere (at least as recorded in the MB vol 9 ch 5) that he can name the pastors, and provide documentation about one of Severino's friends - who unfortunately dies, and dies unfortunately - it is also clear that Don Bosco is using this as a platform for apologetics, historical knowledge and, well, yes, just a rollicking good story with the squalid and the poverty-stricken, the jollity and the conviviality all rolled into one in the best Dickensian tradition.
Should you want a nicely-presented html version, don't rely on the SDL html extracted style - ask for one and we can send it to you.
