Ocean Sea (Italian: Oceano mare) is a 1993 novel by the Italian writer Alessandro Baricco. Its narrative revolves around the lives of a group of people gathered at a remote seaside hotel. The novel won the Viareggio Prize.[1]

Ocean Sea
First edition (Italian)
AuthorAlessandro Baricco
Original titleOceano mare
TranslatorAlastair McEwen
LanguageItalian
PublisherRizzoli editore
Publication date
1993
Publication placeItaly
Published in English
1999
Pages226
ISBN88-17-66043-4

Reception

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Richard Bernstein reviewed the book for The New York Times, and wrote: "Ocean Sea unfolds in its poetically elliptical way. Mr. Baricco is a literary cubist, a stylist who looks simultaneously at the several sides of things. He switches from one rhetorical mode to another, from a kind of symbolist poetry to grand adventure narrative to picaresque comedy." Bernstein continued: "This style of writing can be precious, artificial, a kind of verbal craftsmanship for craftsmanship's sake, but generally I read Ocean Sea transfixed by Mr. Baricco's linguistic originality, the boisterousness of his characters, and the skill with which he weaves the threads of a seemingly disjointed plot into a single narrative strand."[2] Tom Boncza-Tomaszewski of The Independent called the book an "extraordinary novel", and wrote: "A book about being, metaphysics juggled like the best trick of a wise old clown, this is a novel that at least suggests there's more to life than what any rationalist would tell you."[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Premio Letterario Viareggio Rèpaci - Albo d'oro". premioletterarioviareggiorepaci.it (in Italian). Viareggio Prize. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
  2. ^ Bernstein, Richard (1999-03-31). "Books of the Times; Literary Cubism for Eccentrics at a Seaside Hotel". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
  3. ^ Boncza-Tomaszewski, Tom (2008-07-28). "Ocean Sea". The Independent. Retrieved 2011-12-18.