On one of the many rainy afternoons this May, the third Great Loves Lecture took place at Mayflower Bookshop. The subject of this lecture was Emilio and Angiolina from Italo Svevo’s “Senilità,” known in English as “As a Man Grows Older.” Anglicist and literary scholar Ruud Hisgen delivered an inspiring talk on their relationschip from one of the best-known novels by the famous Italian writer.
Svevo (pseudonym of Ettore Schmitz, 1861-1928) was born in Trieste. Despite his efforts, literary success had failed to materialise. He had started to focus on his family life, and in 1899 his mother-in-law arranged for him to become CEO of his father-in-law’s ship painting company. To do so, he had to learn English.
We would probably never have heard of Svevo if he had not received those English lessons from Trieste-based Irish writer James Joyce (1882-1941). Dr Hisgen therefore paid attention to their -fruitful- friendship. This led to Svevo’s later successful novel ‘Confessions of Zeno’ and to Joyce’s novel ‘Ulysses’. Leopold Bloom’s character was partly borrowed from Svevo’s persona.
Titled ‘Giacomo Joyce in Trieste’, anglicist and actor/ director Sigrid de Zwart recited texts by Joyce including the heartbreaking poem ‘Watching the Needleboats at San Sabba’ about love, impermanence and loss – the theme of Dr Hisgen’s lecture.
The afternoon ended with a lively discussion. An afternoon well worth remembering!