Sbagliando s'impera

Pratchett, Terry & Neil Gaiman (1990). Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. New York (NY): William Morrow. 2019. ISBN: 9780061991127. Pagine 383. 5,19€

Un altro Neil Gaiman, questa volta con Terry Pratchett. Forse perché non sono (ancora?) un cultore di Terry Pratchett ho aspettato tanto a leggerlo. E devo anche (vergognosamente) confessare che se l’ho letto adesso è anche perché è in uscita la serie tv su Amazon Video.

Gaiman era giovane e alle prime armi quando ha scritto questo libro, Pratchett un autore già affermato. I due si sono divertiti come pazzi a scriverlo: ce lo raccontano nelle appendici del romanzo, ma si capisce benissimo anche soltanto a leggerlo. Un libro effervescente d’intelligenza, che a tratti fa venire in mente The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Assolutamente raccomandato.

Nessun difetto? Forse qualcuno sì. Soprattutto alla fine emerge qualche tratto di moralismo, di filosofia, qualcuno direbbe anche di buonismo. Non ne so abbastanza da essere in grado di distinguere l’apporto di Gaiman da quello di Pratchett (cosa che invece mi riesce abbastanza bene con Lennon e McCartney), ma d’istinto direi che – conoscendo la “cattiveria” di Gaiman – è Pratchett il più “moralista” dei due.

Un altro difetto, che però non può essere ascritto agli autori, è che questa edizione che ho comprato su Amazon è l’edizione americana: e lo spelling americano stride con un libro così profondamente inglese. Editori americani, perché siete così implacabili nel trasformare tutti i favours in favors? Mai fatica fu più controproducente.

Qualche assaggio, senza guastarvi le sorprese (che naturalmente abbondano):

Good people, of course, but not entirely compost mentis. (p.29: sinceramente spero sia voluto, e non un errore di stampa!)

It was the sort of sensible arrangement that many isolated agents, working in awkward conditions a long way from their superiors, reach with their opposite number when they realize that they have more in common with their immediate opponents than their remote allies. (p.38)

And there were his fellow trainees—fellow sperms, to switch metaphors, all struggling forward in the knowledge that there could only ever be one Chairman of Industrial Holdings (Holdings) PLC, and that the job would probably go to the biggest prick. (p.91)

They lend weight to moral argument. (p.93: si parla di armi da fuoco…)

“Why are you always so cynical?”
“I said. Because it’s my job.” (p.100)

Cats, Dog considered, were clearly a lot tougher than lost souls. (p.128)

Notoriety wasn’t as good as fame, but was heaps better than obscurity. (p.129)

They’d come here to spoon and, on one memorable occasion, fork (p.176)

It was state of the art, he said.
The art in this case was probably pottery. (p.183)

[…] the pious Scots, locked throughout history in a long-drawn-out battle with their arch-enemies the Scots […] (p.184)

You see, it’s not enough to know what the future is. You have to know what it means. (p.199)

[…] marital arts […] (p.202)

He had nowhere to go.
He went anyway. (p.237)

London was not designed for cars. Come to that, it wasn’t designed for people. It just sort of happened. This created problems, and the solutions that were implemented became the next problems, five or ten or a hundred years down the line. (p.279). William Morrow. Edizione del Kindle. Good people, of course, but not entirely compost mentis. (p.29: sinceramente spero sia voluto, e non un errore di stampa!)

It was the sort of sensible arrangement that many isolated agents, working in awkward conditions a long way from their superiors, reach with their opposite number when they realize that they have more in common with their immediate opponents than their remote allies. (p.38)

And there were his fellow trainees—fellow sperms, to switch metaphors, all struggling forward in the knowledge that there could only ever be one Chairman of Industrial Holdings (Holdings) PLC, and that the job would probably go to the biggest prick. (p.91)

They lend weight to moral argument. (p.93: si parla di armi da fuoco…)

“Why are you always so cynical?”
“I said. Because it’s my job.” (p.100)

Cats, Dog considered, were clearly a lot tougher than lost souls. (p.128)

Notoriety wasn’t as good as fame, but was heaps better than obscurity. (p.129)

They’d come here to spoon and, on one memorable occasion, fork (p.176)

It was state of the art, he said.
The art in this case was probably pottery. (p.183)

[…] the pious Scots, locked throughout history in a long-drawn-out battle with their arch-enemies the Scots […] (p.184)

You see, it’s not enough to know what the future is. You have to know what it means. (p.199)

[…] marital arts […] (p.202)

He had nowhere to go.
He went anyway. (p.237)

London was not designed for cars. Come to that, it wasn’t designed for people. It just sort of happened. This created problems, and the solutions that were implemented became the next problems, five or ten or a hundred years down the line. (p.279)

“Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives.”
“Do you know,” she said, “of all the trite sayings I’ve ever really hated, that comes top?” (pp.339-340)