Fiume lento

Fiume lento is an extraordinary wordless book – almost a graphic novel where memories of recent Italian history comes to life through highly poetic images. In the book: four seasons, four epochs, four episodes all chronicle life and death, pain and joy along the banks of Italy’s major river: the Po.  During one autumn in the 1950s, the river overflows and the subsequent flooding disrupts villages and the countryside. A man leaves his house and runs to warn the people. When he returns, he finds his home is completely flooded, but his dog still waiting for him.  A winter in late 1960s: a farmer picks his son up from school with his little boat, in order to share in the birth of a calf.  One  spring in the 1980s: a celebration is underway in a little village. The carousels have just arrived and the community is enjoying a wedding party. A 1930s summer: a tiger escapes from a circus and seeks refuge in the forest that surrounds a village. However, the tiger meets an unconventional and fearless painter.  This book is not only a moving tribute to the silence and the movement of the water, but also to the power of visual language in sharing stories and memories.