Paese d’ombre
Paese d’ombre won the prestigious Premio Strega award in 1972 almost unanimously.
The novel presents a slice of Sardinia and its history, narrated by the life of Angelo Uras. A complex and profound character, he becomes the owner of the Balanotti farm after the tragic death of don Francesco Fulgheri. The story begins with Balanotti; nature reigns here and the silence of the age-old trees are perceived as the silence of “quiet people who think.”
The story ends in the pine grove of Villacidro-Norbio, made upon request of Angelo, who had become mayor. The life and destiny of this character and the history of the Norbio community unwinds between Balanotti and the pine grove. From the poverty of the peasant and shepherding lifestyle, Angelo is able to frequent bourgeois institutions and uses them to the advantage of the community and its development. As mayor, Angelo Uras acquires awareness and works in favour of everyone, coming face to face with demanding and tenacious choices through which he opens the doors of hope, progress and change without losing sight of the collective identity.
The first featured excerpt is particularly significant and tells of the construction of the drinking trough and Washhouse, the symbolic monument of the town today, as in the past. The decision to construct this building originated from a concerned request, from a profound sense of community and respect that emphasizes and confirms the sensitivity and deep civic sense of the protagonist.
The second excerpt from Paese d’ombre deals with themes held dear by Dessì: the mines, the exploitation of the area and the destruction of the woods. The poetic writing style of the writer often returns to environmental issues and Paese d’ombre is the principal manifesto of his protest against the irrational exploitation of the mountains and forests. The timber was needed to feed the ovens of the Mandell foundry where the minerals extracted from the nearby mines of Guspini, Arbus and Iglesias were processed.
The foundry is a powerful machine of destruction for the woods and forests; the trees were cut down without any rules that would guarantee re-growth and the increasing deforestation of the mountains surrounding the town was creating problems and disasters more and more. During the flood that threatened to cause enormous damage to the town, which was split in half by the river, protagonist Angelo Uras encounters Ferraris, an engineer whose post was that of Royal Officer responsible for finding timber.
A friendship and collaboration results that unites two different worlds, not unlike the bridge that was built after the flood unites the two sides of the town. These two different worlds will come face to face: one is motivated solely by business interests, the other by respect and a strong sense of belonging to Norbio, its mountains and trees.