 | A WRITER'S WIT |  A. Towles |
MY BOOK WORLD
Starnone, Domenico. The Old Man by the Sea: A Novel. Translated by Oonagh Stransky. New York: Europa, 2024.
I’m not quite as enthusiastic about the novel as the unsigned “Briefly Noted” writer of the September 15, 2025 issue of The New Yorker seems to be. At one point, one of the principal characters, Nicola, quips, “And enjoy playing out your Old Man and the Sea fantasy; Make Hemingway roll over in his grave” (119). This seems an odd and forced comment, perhaps more from the mouth of the author than Nicola. For Starnone’s novel of a successful old writer (eighty-two) spending some time by the sea (instead of fishing for the big one as Santiago does in Hemingway’s book) is more about making amends (in his mind) with the women in his life, including his late mother whom he at one point believes, in a vision, has returned from the dead.
Rather, and in this way the two novels may be similar, Starnone’s old man is rethinking his life as a writer with remarks such as these: “As a young man it was deceptively easy to manipulate real facts, use them to churn out fictional stories with elements of truth, but as an old man my feeble efforts lead only to despair” (95). Or, “Practicality without imaginations is flawed. Stories are good and useful precisely because they train the brain not to be satisfied with appearances, and to look beyond” (103). But I must say, the old man does impart a bit of wisdom to another woman, when she says to him, “Don’t be clever,” and he answers, “I’m not. All I’m saying is that it’s good to imagine terrible things that can never actually come to pass. That way, when bad things do happen, we’re less frightened, and it’s easier to find consolation” (126).
Bingo. The old man hits the nail on the head about aging (at least it may, for some of us), and I suppose it is appropriate that this gem arrives on page 127 of 145.
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My Book World | Molly Jong-Fast, How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir
I’m not quite as enthusiastic about the novel as the unsigned “Briefly Noted” writer of the September 15, 2025 issue of The New Yorker seems to be. At one point, one of the principal characters, Nicola, quips, “And enjoy playing out your Old Man and the Sea fantasy; Make Hemingway roll over in his grave” (119). This seems an odd and forced comment, perhaps more from the mouth of the author than Nicola. For Starnone’s novel of a successful old writer (eighty-two) spending some time by the sea (instead of fishing for the big one as Santiago does in Hemingway’s book) is more about making amends (in his mind) with the women in his life, including his late mother whom he at one point believes, in a vision, has returned from the dead.
Rather, and in this way the two novels may be similar, Starnone’s old man is rethinking his life as a writer with remarks such as these: “As a young man it was deceptively easy to manipulate real facts, use them to churn out fictional stories with elements of truth, but as an old man my feeble efforts lead only to despair” (95). Or, “Practicality without imaginations is flawed. Stories are good and useful precisely because they train the brain not to be satisfied with appearances, and to look beyond” (103). But I must say, the old man does impart a bit of wisdom to another woman, when she says to him, “Don’t be clever,” and he answers, “I’m not. All I’m saying is that it’s good to imagine terrible things that can never actually come to pass. That way, when bad things do happen, we’re less frightened, and it’s easier to find consolation” (126).
Bingo. The old man hits the nail on the head about aging (at least it may, for some of us), and I suppose it is appropriate that this gem arrives on page 127 of 145.
Up Next:
MON 10/27: WHAT I'M THINKING ... IF ANYTHING
TUES 10/28: A Writer's Wit | Ayad Akhtar
WEDS 10/29: A Writer's Wit | Caroline Paul
THURS 10/30: A Writer's Wit | Timothy Findley
FRI 10/31: A Writer's Wit | Julia Peterkin
My Book World | Molly Jong-Fast, How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir
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