February 23, 2011

La Rosa


Last night I was discussing with some friends a Jean Kilbourne video, where she criticizes the social pressure upon women due to imposed aesthetical categories.

I woke up thinking of La Rosa. It is a short story published in the "Gazette von San Vito" by a little girl of Trieste, Monica Favaretto, in May 1973. Claudio Magris discovered it and published it in his marvelous book Danube:
La Rosa era felice. Andava d'accordo con gli altri fiori. Un giorno, la Rosa si senti appasita e stava per morire. Vide un fiori di carta e gli disse:

- Che bella rosa sei!
- Mai io sono un fiore di carta.
- Ma sai che sto per morire?

La Rosa era morta e non parló più.

A rough translation to English:
The Rose was happy. She got on well with all the other flowers. One day the Rose felt that she was wilting and about to die. She saw a paper flower and said to her:

- ¡What a lovely rose you are!’
- But I am a paper flower. 
– But don’t you realize I am dying? 

The Rose was already dead and spoke no more.

 Foto: Isabeli Fontana by Tom Munro (2008)

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