Amarcord by Federico Fellini with Tonino Guerra

Amarcord: A Portrait of a Town - an insight into the mind of one of the greatest geniuses in film making. This was Fellini's fifteenth film and this novelisation by Fellini and Tonino Guerra was released just prior to the film in 1973. The film and novel presents a scathing satirical critique of Italian provincial life during the 1930s, the height of the fascist period (1922–43). In this era, Mussolini’s dictatorship enjoyed its greatest popular support. While Fellini’s depiction of the provincial world under fascism provides a complex political and cultural interpretation of the period, his portrayal of the everyday lives of the inhabitants of Rimini, Fellini’s birthplace, awarded him international acclaim, winning him his fourth Academy Award for best foreign-language film. Amarcord remains one of the director’s best-loved creations, beautifully weaving together Giuseppe Rottuno’s colorful cinematography, Danilo Donati’s extravagant costumes and sets, and Nino Rota’s nostalgia-tinged score.

Would also highly recommend checking out The Silver Book by Olivia Laing, a queer love story set in Italy the summer of Pasolini's untimely passing and the filming of Fellini’s Casanova. A captivating read if you're a fan of Italian cinema, Pasolini, Fellini or running away to Italy to eat maritozzo, smoke cigarettes and drink vermouth.

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Paperback

Published by Abelard-Schuman Limited, 1974

First Paperback Edition

Translated by Nina Rootes