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Luigi Malerba: Pataffio (Paperback, German language, 1996, Fischer (Tb.), Frankfurt) 4 stars

A different perspective on human fallacies

4 stars

Quite a unique, fun, irreverent novel, which inspired the famous Italian comedy 'The Incredible Army of Brancaleone' by Monicelli, set in fictional late-medieval feud in central Italy. The author brilliantly and fluently alternates between a macaronic Latin, Vulgar, and Roman dialect, and ironically highlights the shortcomings of the feudal system. Somehow the novel manages to feel extremely actual with regard to the present struggles in Italian society.