The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: BrightSummaries.com
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 21

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Tartar Steppe with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati, an allegorical novel which reflects on the nature of time and human existence. It follows the life of a newly-qualified army lieutenant, Giovanni Drogo, as he heads off to his first posting at a gloomy fortress on the edge of the wilderness which guards the border against a long-dreaded invasion by Tartar forces. It is generally considered to be Dino Buzzati’s masterpiece, and was first published in Italian in 1940 to widespread critical acclaim. Buzzati is known for his pessimistic but profoundly reflective style, which often examines the mundane and the bizarre side by side. He died in 1972.

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•Key themes and symbols
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Leseprobe

Dino Buzzati

Italian writer, journalist and painter

Born in Belluno in 1906.Died in Milan in 1972.Notable works:The Tartar Steppe (1940), novelI sette messaggeri (“The Seven Messengers”, 1942), short story collectionIl colombre (1966), short story collection

Dino Buzzati was born in Italy in 1906, and initially embarked on a career in journalism, working for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and serving as a war correspondent during the Second World War. Alongside this, he turned his hand to literature and began to write novels, including Bàrnabo delle montagne and A Love Affair. In 1940, he published his masterpiece, The Tartar Steppe, which was an immediate global success. However, he also penned many short stories and novellas, working in the genres of both realism and fantasy. His most famous short story collection, Il colombre, consists of no fewer than 50 stories. His works tend to be pessimistic in nature, and often focus on the themes of delusion and death within a universe where everyday life takes a turn for the strange and disturbing under the corrupting influence of the supernatural.

Today, Buzzati is considered one of the greatest Italian writers of his generation. He died in 1972.

The Tartar Steppe

An exceptionally grand novel

Genre: novelReference edition: Buzzati, D. (2007) The Tartar Steppe. Trans. Hood, S. C. Edinburgh: Canongate.1st edition: 1940Themes: hope, waiting, time, invasion, routine, death

The Tartar Steppe was first published in Italian in 1940, and has been hailed by critics as “an exceptionally grand novel” which offers “a dramatic, passionate examination of the meaning of life and the inevitability of human destiny”. The novel tells the strange story of the young lieutenant Giovanni Drogo who is assigned to the sinister Fort Bastiani, which is located on the border of the Northern Kingdom across a mysterious desert that swirls with fog, which is supposedly going to be the target of a Tartar attack. Throughout the story, Drogo is torn between two opposing desires: to leave this depressing environment and to finally face the invaders. He ends up spending 30 years at Fort Bastiani, waiting for something which eventually comes too late.

Summary