Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio
2006 Italian novel by Amara Lakhous
Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio (Italian: Scontro di civiltà per un ascensore a Piazza Vittorio) is an Italian language novel by Amara Lakhous, published by Edizioni e/o [it]. It was first published in 2006.[1] Its English translation, done by Ann Goldstein, was published in 2008 by Europa Editions.
In the story, police question residents of various origins in a single apartment complex. According to John Powers of National Public Radio, even though the plot is driven by police looking for the person who committed a murder, "the mystery isn't really the point."[3]Publishers Weekly praised the "intriguing psychological and social insight".[4]
Characters
Amedeo (originally named Ahmed) – From Algeria, he intentionally conceals his origins, leading to ambiguity about his origins among those who know him; based on his words, some think he is southern Italian instead of being of North African origins.[5] Sandro gave him the name "Amedeo".[6] In his past, he was to be married to a woman named Bàgia, but she died.[5]
Abdallah Ben Kadour – He came from the same community Amedeo grew up in, and now lives in Rome.[7]
Mauro Bettarini
Sandro Dandini – A native of Rome, he owns a bar and lives in the same building as Amedeo.[6]
Benedetta Esposito – The landlady, she is from Naples.[8] She uses Neapolitan as her primary language, which makes it difficult to find work.[9] She is oppressed by Italians from other parts of Italy, and she oppresses people of recent immigrant origins.[8]
Elisabetta Fabiani – She is from Rome and lives with Valentino, her dog, until the dog is killed.[7]
Antonio Marini – He originates from Milan, and is a university professor.[10] Graziella Parati of Dartmouth College describes him as "the outsider from the north who considers himself superior and therefore deserving of special treatment".[11]
Johan Van Marten - Originating from the Netherlands, he is an expatriate and is not an immigrant to Italy. Parati stated that he is "privileged" in Italian society.[12]
Stefania Massaro
Parviz Mansoor Samadi – He is from Iran and had left that country due to political reasons.[13] He does not consider himself to be an immigrant. He uses French as his Italian is not fluent.[9]
According to Parati, an elevator used by many characters is rendered into being "a central character".[9]
