Ocean Sea (novel) explained

Ocean Sea (it|'''Oceano mare''') is a 1993 novel by the Italian writer Alessandro Baricco. Its narrative revolves around the lives of a group of people gathered at a remote seaside hotel. The novel won the Viareggio Prize.^[1]

Reception

Richard Bernstein reviewed the book for The New York Times, and wrote: "Ocean Sea unfolds in its poetically elliptical way. Mr. Baricco is a literary cubist, a stylist who looks simultaneously at the several sides of things. He switches from one rhetorical mode to another, from a kind of symbolist poetry to grand adventure narrative to picaresque comedy." Bernstein continued: "This style of writing can be precious, artificial, a kind of verbal craftsmanship for craftsmanship's sake, but generally I read Ocean Sea transfixed by Mr. Baricco's linguistic originality, the boisterousness of his characters, and the skill with which he weaves the threads of a seemingly disjointed plot into a single narrative strand."^[2] Tom Boncza-Tomaszewski of The Independent called the book an "extraordinary novel", and wrote: "A book about being, metaphysics juggled like the best trick of a wise old clown, this is a novel that at least suggests there's more to life than what any rationalist would tell you."^[3]

See also

• 1993 in literature
• Italian literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Premio Letterario Viareggio Rèpaci - Albo d'oro. Italian. premioletterarioviareggiorepaci.it. Viareggio Prize. 2011-12-18.
2. Web site: Bernstein. Richard. Richard Bernstein (journalist). 1999-03-31. Books of the Times; Literary Cubism for Eccentrics at a Seaside Hotel. The New York Times. 2011-12-18.
3. Web site: Boncza-Tomaszewski. Tom. 2008-07-28. Ocean Sea. The Independent. 2011-12-18.