Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio: A Novel

by Amara Lakhous, Ann Goldstein (Translator)

Overview

At once a bittersweet comedy and a drama of racial identity, this book brings to life the hilarious imbroglios of the modern metropolis.

Piazza Vittorio is home to a polyglot community of immigrants who have come to Rome from all over the world. But when a tenant is murdered in the building’s elevator, the delicate balance is thrown into disarray. With language as colorful as the neighborhood it describes, each character in this choral novel takes their turn “giving evidence,” and the stories that emerge provide an all-access pass into the most fascinating of Roman neighborhoods.

“Do we have an Italian Camus on our hands? Just possibly.”—Philadelphia Inquirer

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798889661191
Publisher:	Europa Editions, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Amara Lakhous was born in Algiers in 1970. He has a degree in philosophy from the University of Algiers and another in cultural anthropology from the Universityla Sapienza, Rome. He is the author of five novels, including Divorce Islamic Style (Europa, 2012) and Dispute over a Very Italian Piglet (Europa, 2014).

Ann Goldstein’s translations for Europa Editions include all of Elena Ferrante’s books, including the New York Times best-selling My Brilliant Friend, named by the New York Times as the Best Book of the Century, and The Story of the Lost Child, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and a recipient of the PEN Renato Poggioli Translation Award. She lives in New York.

Editorial Reviews

WINNER OF THE FLAIANO PRIZE

“Lithe and hilarious . . . short enough to be assimilated on a quiet evening, yet powerful enough to leave you with the sense that you could be doing more to understand the people around you.” —Off the Shelf

“The rich variety of characters and psychological understanding place Mr. Lakhous in the tradition of Balzac and Dickens.”—The Washington Times

“The author’s real subject is the heave and crush of modern, polyglot Rome . . . the novel feels exclaimed rather than written.”—The New Yorker

“Wonderfully offbeat.”—The Seattle Times

“What’s memorable about Lakhous’ novel is what he shows us of an often inward-looking nation confronting the teeming vibrancy of multicultural life.”—NPR’s Fresh Air

“This short but nearly flawless novel offers an intriguing and satisfying blend of crime and literary fiction.”—Booklist

“Intriguing psychological and social insight alongside a playful whodunit plot, exposing the power of fear, racial prejudice and cultural misconception to rob a neighborhood of its humanity.”—Publishers Weekly

“A satirical, enigmatic take in the racial tensions that afflict present-day Europe.”—Brooklyn Rail

“An Italian noir-comedy-satire, written by an Algerian, that effectively breaks rules and has a good time doing it.” —Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

An authentic publishing success . . . This is the first time that a writer born outside of Italy has created a text that can be considered thoroughly Italian.

Liberazione

Enthralling, funny, playful.

Corriere della Sera

The real protagonist here is the piazza itself, its life made up of many lives intertwined, its chaotic vitality. Read this book, it's well worth the effort. It represents a new look at a new city.

La Repubblica