The war in the head.
“Astarte”, by Andrea Pazienza[1].
Screenshot from “Astarte”, by Andrea Pazienza – ‘Fandango Libri’ (2010).
Is “Astarte” a dream ? Net, impressive, melancholic.
However it is a pleasure when you look at Andrea Pazienza drawing[2]. I hazard : it is even comforting to think that Paz, as he was called, had found at least some satisfacion, even if from blank sheets of paper and large walls. When you look at him, it seems even easy to follow his suddenly sure hand, intent on making a runaway horse, an armed man, a furious bear.
Astarte is the fighting puppy of Hannibal, excellent African strategist and leader of the Second Punic War (218 – 201 b.C.) : Paz, who comes from a detoxification pathway, gets so passionate about it that he want make out a wonderful story. In 238 b.C. Hannibal had left very young, at nine, from Carthage[3] together with his father, the General Amilcare Barca and his younger brother Hasdrubal, at the head of a mighty army to challenge Rome that threatened them with its power; he had been staying in Italy for fifteen long years, arriving to cross the snow-capped Alps with their African elephants and worrying the Romans themselves, who were already been beaten in Italy several times before deciding to fully commit themselves to annihilate Carthage. As a matter of fact, ‘Storia di Astarte’ relates the preparations and the battle of 217 b.C. won by Hannibal on Trasimeno Lake, as he could take advantage of a local typical mists that enveloped the whole place : since that defeat the Romans decided to change tactic and structure in their army.
And it was already a tradition in any war, for both the opposing parties, to free those enormous dogs, the Molossian from Anatolia enchanting Paz, which were armed with a deadly sword to attack by surprise the horses and the first lined up ranks.
However the giant puppy which is Astarte is likeable indeed, even in the savagery of the battle where, innocent, he is sent. He’s likeable because that youngest patient dog does obey and, differently from the humans who every time make up a new war, Astarte only does what he has been trained to do… “I came back to the cages – Astarte says, exhausted after the battle in the last plate by Andrea Pazienza – where already Baal and a few other dogs were. The proud trainer gave us something to eat and cuddled. While the battle still was raging, me and Baal fell asleep, side by side for the last time…”
The story would have finished at Zama with the first defeat of Hannibal and Astarte’ death but, astonishingly, the narration stops at the victorious battle end. How to reconciliate, infact, the human and introduce it into the story ?
A few days after, the evening of June 16, 1988 Andrea Pazienza died in his beautiful house in Tuscany where he was living with his second wife and their two dogs.
“Comics are an escape… and the word itself, ‘escaping’ is a very beautiful word…” – Roberto Saviano remembers in his ‘Preface’ what Paz said. To be able to tell, infact, Astarte has to approach the author and the author to come inside a little more that giant puppy so far from him, so docile and terrible, so lighthearted and, finally, so cruel.
“…It remains the the handwriting of a child”, Paz admits with reluctance when commenting upon his texts in an interview of 1987[4]. But his graphic sign is not : it was not a child’s sign. “I don’t want to be wrong…” he still says, even better he repeats three times and he appears excessive, as it refers only to something he doesn’t remember in front of the interviewer. “I don’t want to be wrong…” and then again : “I don’t want to be wrong…”
“…For us dogs it’s difficult to come into mens’ dreams, I succeeded with you because I am a very strong dog. And you clearly a very weak man…”, Astarte says to Andrea Pazienza in one of the first plates, here he portrayed himself ugly, with a potato nose and an ordinary look which wasn’t really his own.
Fulvia Serra, former editor of ‘Linus’ who worked together with Paz, comments[5] on Andrea Pazienza’ ability to grasp any tension, any torment from young people, so that appreciation for him still remains today : however, what would be an honour for Paz, instead condenses condemnation, a pressure from many sides, neither collective nor innocent, which would have needed a proper defense, unfortunately not implemented by him.
According to some, he would have revolutionized the comic strip in Italy : according to others, also a ‘genetic’ ability to draw would have made it unnecessary for him to learn, but Paz didn’t disdain it notwithstanding he was easily distracted. Too heavy, intrusive, expensive voices.
Contemporary to him, in the 50s that ‘chicken game’[6] was arising, where the ‘chicken’ was the one who was trying to ‘save’ himself, jumping out of a moving car. And experts today know they can easily predict anything from those who are sensitive to flattery and promotions.
Andrea Pazienza’ biography is a very rapid and exponential hyperbole, between 1977 and 1987 his works were expected and in demand by a number of anxious clients : this young author, shy and perfectionist, who called himself ‘lazy’ has instead passed very quickly through cinema[7], teaching[8], journalism[9]. Paz however offered only whereas a bloody challenge had to be met, a duel which make bleed profusely, a hand-to-hand conscientious and lacerating.
Astarte is a monster with whom Andrea Pazienza maybe would have liked to make peace : but no peace is possible, by keeping the monster.
A totem, as a matter of fact, is not an ordinary enemy.
Marina Bilotta Membretti / Cernusco sul Naviglio – July 20, 2020
[1] “Astarte”, ‘Fandango Libri’ (2010) from “Storia di Astarte” (1988) by Andrea Pazienza, Preface by Roberto Saviano.
[2] ‘Fumettology’, October 23, 2014 ‘Rai4’.
[3] “Vite degli uomini illustri”, Cornelio Nepote, Chapter II.
[4] Interview April 4, 1987 by Carlo Romeo, director of TeleRoma56, then broadcasted again also by Rai3 a few years ago.
[5] Andrea Pazienza was 21 in 1977, being born in 1956.
[6] “…In ‘Rebel without a Cause’ (transl.: ‘Gioventù bruciata’, a film of 1955), a few teen-agers in Los Angeles are driving towards the cliff, winner will be who can jump out the car at the last minute”, p.85 “Calcoli morali. Teoria dei giochi, logica e fragilità umana”, by Lazlo Mero - Ed. Dedalo Bari 2012.
[7] Andrea Pazienza is the author of the poster for ‘La città delle donne’ (1980), directed by Federico Fellini.
[8] In the early ’80s Paz had been teaching at the ‘Libera Università di Alcatraz’ (Gubbio-PG), directed by Jacopo Fo.
[9] In 1980 Paz founded the monthly magazine ‘Frigidaire’, which also his friend Tanino Liberatore worked for, former colleague at the College they both attended in Pescara : for ‘Frigidaire’ Andrea Pazienza created the very negative character of Zanardi, but Paz considered his own ‘alter ego’.