Dark Humor in Italian Literature: Luigi Malerba's 'The Silver Head'

It’s a bit tiring to read the same short story novels over and over again, though it’s not necessary when one is interested in them. So I’ll pick through a few pages here and there.

Among the titles of this Italian writer (Luigi Malerba)’s collection “The Silver Head” that I’ve read are several that stand out for their dark humor.

One particularly striking piece is titled “Are You a victim of Proust?” At first glance, it seems strange to title such a work. Upon closer inspection, the story concerns a doctor who specializes in allergies. He believes that most people with these allergies suffer from neurotic tendencies, and the more intense their allergy symptoms, the worse their condition becomes. This is analogous to chronic depression.

In this work, the doctor tells his patients that if they feel themselves getting too depressed or have thoughts of giving up, there’s a painless way to kill themselves. The patients are instructed to contact any neuroticist willing to treat them for free. The story goes on to describe how one such patient eventually gives up after being scared off by the knowledge that many neuroticists aren’t prepared to deal with such cases.

The doctor also mentions his theory of neurosis in this work, which he believes stems from Proust’s condition and his own literary inclinations. His approach to treatment is unconventionalhis patients are required to read Proust’s works repeatedly before they can understand the connection between their current symptoms and their condition. The doctor even claims that many writers today have been influenced by Proust, though he admits that reading Proust can be quite a shock.

Another notable piece is “New Roman Dolphins.” While the title might suggest a connection to dolphins, it actually describes a man who spends his time walking along a lake by the side of his workplace. He hopes to see dolphins leaping out of the water and even goes so far as to write letters to them in anticipation of their appearances. To date, he hasn’t seen any such thing.

The author’s intention behind this story isn’t entirely clear. However, it seems that he was attempting to create a theory of imaginationa notion that suggests people’s imaginations become realities when they are sufficiently active. The story goes on to describe how the protagonist writes postcards filled with vague and cryptic messages meant to be read in the future.

The woman protagonist in this work has been increasingly absorbed into her own thoughts about her life, leading her to withdraw from meaningful relationships. Her husband, a petroleum worker, even goes so far as to disrupt his job by switching suppliers without informing his employer. This incident leads to his being reprimanded and eventually suspended from work for six months.

The ending of this story is particularly striking. After the man confesses his theory to his wife, she becomes increasingly delusional until one day it occurs to her that he’s talking about something entirely different when he speaks of “the theory.” The final scene sees them dining at a restaurant where the man and his wife are seated across from each other.

The story concludes with a moment of great tension. A magician performs tricks for the couple, and the man is clearly enchanted by one of thema trick involving tying a blade to a hollow box. The woman tries to reassure her husband that this isn’t dangerous, but he insists on revealing his theory to her anyway, warning her not to take it too seriously.

The story ends with a dramatic twist: as the magician ties a rope around the man’s chest and forces him into the box, the crowd is left wondering what could possibly go wrong. The man emerges alive, though he later confides in his wife that it was all just a tricka lesson learned from past experiences where he had been fooled by magicians.

The story closes with the couple sitting together as the magician exits stage left. They exchange looks and then disappear into the shadows.