In questo calendario sentimentale, descrivo un'epopea perduta,
ormai scomparsa per sempre.

"In this sentimental calendar, I describe a lost epic, now gone forever"

As the second book in my collection of Mauro Corona, I went with Lunario Sentimentale. This was exactly the book I was looking for when I was asking the internet for a book about rural mountain life, which led me to discover Mauro Corona and his other books.

Lunario Sentimentale is a collection of memories of the author, divided in seasons and months to emphasize how much the changing of the season would shape the life of the people. Each month was dedicated to something: preparing tools, fertilize the earth, remembering the dead, etc. Life was hard in every moment of the year, without mercy. Still, people were hard to put down and life kept going.

As the author states several times, this book is a testimony of a lost time. He describes his memories of cutting down trees with hand saws before the electric saw were invented, of creating their own tools each year, of hunting animals for surviving, of big snowfalls. The author is clearly nostalgic about his time, his testimony will make It last a bit longer before being totally surpassed by time itself.

He speaks of a lost time in three different meaning: the first being the lost mountain life and traditions which have been replaced by electric tools and a fast paced economy. Second is the setting: the author lived in the Vajont valley, an area that has been totally destroyed by the fall of the dam that caused more than 2000 deaths, a great tragedy in Italian history. Some of the places he describes do not exist anymore as they were destroyed by the strength of the water. Lastly, he speaks about friends and families that have long gone and live only in his memories and words.

Nature is as an important actor as the protagonist himself. The work was based around the changing of the seasons, on the time to grow and harvest food, etc. Mauro talks about nature with great respect and knowledge. In another book, "Storie del bosco antico", he talks about his deep affections for the trees and their unique personalities.

Supernatural beliefs were also a part of normal life. People were scared of witches, people would disappear without a reason sometimes, there was a culture of myth. For example, the author thought (and still does probably) that cutting a Christmas tree during a full moonlight would make the tree last for years, instead of just a few months.

Celebrations and christian culture were important: February was the month of the masks, November was the month of the dead, December was the month of Christmas.

This book is a window to a time that is probably lost forever and can only be told by the few remaining people who lived it. Life was hard but simple. People were happier, the author argues.

---

Travel: Mauro Corona, Index