Armchair Escapism 11

BOOKS

Dangerous Liaisons
This 18th century work goes down as one of the most seductive and tantalising French novels in history. Dangeous Liaisons is solely through letters between the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, who are former lovers that plot to ruin the lives and reputations of those within their aristocratic societal circles. Noone is safe from their schemes and innocent bystanders like Cécile de Volanges and Madame de Tourvel fall victim to their merciless hands. Drunk with their own power, will Mereuil and Valmont succeed in their perilous games, or will they suffer under their own cruel acts?

The Caravan Moves on, Irfan Orga
In the 1950s, Istanbul-born Irfan Orga, embarked on a 3-week adventure living among the Yürük nomads who reside in the High Taurus Mountains of Turkey. The Caravan Moves on is his account of time spent among a community which is completely detached from the rapidly modernising world of 20th century post-war Europe. Orga recounts his experiences of the Yürük’s traditions, lifestyles and beliefs many of which have remained constant since antiquity. Ultimately, the book shows the powers of pairing back life to core values and offers a refreshing insight into pockets of the world that have resisted new ways of living with all the complications that come with it.

Of Saints and Miracles, Manuel Astur
Marcelino is a challenged young man whose relationship with his cruel brother ends in his accidental murder. Terrified, Marcelino flees to the hinterlands of north-west Spain among the Asturias. His new fugitive life throws him into one adventure after another, and soon Marcelino becomes somewhat of a local legend. The author, Astur, brilliantly blends Marcelino’s voyages with stories and fables that have existed in Spanish folklore for many years. We can’t help but fall in love with the characters and their chaos through Astur’s riveting and often heart wrenching prose.

FILMS

The Corsican File
Rémi François, a private investigator based in Paris, is sent to Corsica to hunt down a local, Ange Leoni who has recently inherited a large fortune. Rémi is expecting a simple mission but when he arrives on the glamorous yet wild island, his usual expertise is compromised. As he gets further embroiled into conflicts and political strife, this comedy of errors takes all manners of twists and turns. The film is light-hearted but based around the real-world tensions of Corsican independence from the French. Leoni – a Corsican nationalist leader - consistently evades Rémi in slapstick style, helped along by the islanders who wish not to rat him out.

Marriage Italian StyleTwo of Italy’s most iconic actors reunite on the screen, commanded by one of Italy’s most iconic directors in this hilarious comedy, Marriage Italian Style. Domenico (played by Marcello Mastroianni), a wealthy businessman enjoys a twenty-year relationship with Filumena (Sophia Loren), a prostitute whom he refuses to marry. Filumena, tired of not progressing their love, fakes a fatal disease and tricks Domenico into marrying her on her deathbed. When Domenico discovers the ruse, he is furious and tries to annul the marriage but things get more complicated when Filumena reveals they have a grown son together. Marriage Italian Style blends Mastroianni and Loren’s undeniable on-screen chemistry with warmth, humour and heightened drama.

Zorba The Greek
Based on the 1946 Novel, the ‘Life and Times of Alexis Zorba,’ the story follows Basil, a reserved writer of British-Greek heritage. He travels to Crete for work and meets Alexis Zorba, the polar opposite of himself. Zorba is boisterous, passionate, uncompromising and spirited. In life and love, he lives to the fullest and manages to convince Basil to hire him in his business endeavours. But the relationship does not remain strictly professional and as the friendship between Basil and Zorba deepens, the two learn and appreciate more about each other’s philosophies on life. It is ultimately Basil however, who begins to tentatively adopt Zorba’s outlooks. The film is a charming vision of the joys of Grecian living and the simplicities of a joyful life.