Books: “Roman Year” by Andre Aciman
The plight of refugees has dominated the headlines for the past 15 years, at least. But as we all know, it goes farther back than that. People have been fleeing hardship, bigotry, and persecution for years.
And the trouble doesn’t end once they land somewhere new. Immigrants have to start life all over again in a new country, learning local customs and speaking a different language. This awkward period of adjustment is captured in Andre Aciman’s memoir “Roman Year.”
In the late 1950s, Sephardic Jewish families like the Acimans, who had been living peacefully in countries like Egypt for centuries, were forcibly expelled by Nasser. Fortunately, Andre, his younger brother, and his mother were able, through family connections, to land in Italy. Unfortunately, the family connection is André’s odious great-uncle Claude who finds them a place in a questionable Roman neighborhood and a flat formerly inhabited by prostitutes.
To make matters even worse, Andre’s mother is deaf, barely speaks at all (and certainly no Italian) and his father, a wealthy and disagreeable merchant, is still stuck in Egypt. Not that his parents’ reunion would have done any good—they hate each other.
Hmm…So what’s a guy to do? For starters, escape into books, and then try and adjust. Andre vows to learn Italian until he finds Rome has its own slang. He tries desperately to attend an American high school, but the only one that will accept him is Catholic and pricey. He falls in and out of love with local signorinas but he’s also eyeing a young man, Gianlorenzo, who works at a nearby shop.
Raised speaking French in Alexandria, Andre finally feels at home when he visits his father in Paris, where the latter has settled after leaving Egypt. But ultimately Andre’s dream of living in Paris ends when his Egyptian-accented French gives him away as something less than 100 percent Francais.
“Roman Year” is a loving memoir of what life was like for residents outside Rome’s centro historico. The salumerias, the old ladies who live in the neighborhood and gossip behind each other’s backs, the wealthy Egyptian relatives one upping each other—Andre says he hates everything about Rome but it’s clear from his words that just the opposite is true. The scene where he takes an impromptu bike ride through the city is truly wonderful.
Eventually, Andre and his family get visas, and make it to New York. He attends college, becomes an acclaimed novelist (“Call Me By Your Name”) and now teaches at the City University of New York. There’s no better feeling than being welcomed by a country that accepts poor, tired huddled masses like the Acimans —and best of all, encourages them to stay.
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