General Fiction

Qualcosa, là fuori

(Something, Out There)

Ugo Guanda Editore, April 2016, pp.200

A climate fiction, the story of a group of “environmental migrants” who escape from climate catastrophes and search for salvation.

Synopsis and English sample available

In 2082, tens of thousands of people abandon an almost deserted Southern Europa and head to Scandinavia, which has become one of the very few territories with a mild climate that is favorable for the settlement of human beings. Among them is Livio Delmastro, an elderly professor of neuroscience who lost his wife and son sixteen years earlier because of the progressive climate changes and the dramatic social and political consequences that ensued from them. Alone now, Livio decides to leave, but he would really rather die than continue living. His story is intertwined with those of others who like him have paid guides and explorers in the hope of reaching the north. During their crossing of Switzerland and of the vast arid plateau of southern Germany, a few of his fellow travelers die of starvation, thirst or are killed by robbers. It is at this point that Livio realizes that he has a duty towards the world that is to save his few remaining companions.

Ugo Guanda Editore, April 2016, pp.200

  • “Bruno Arpaia engages us right from the start. This is a novel that challenges the reader, forcing us to think about politics and science, without ever ceasing to surprise us.”

    Pietro Cheli, Amica

  • “This is an intense, overwhelming book. (…) The magic of Arpaia’s writing lies in the description of the horrific, desperate journey across Europe. (…) A horror that seems absurd and implausible to the reader, until we realise that this is in fact, the description of events that are already taking place. (…) Arpaia’s writing has the capacity to penetrate and recreate worlds. (…). In Qualcosa, là fuori, the main character is the Future; but this is not a science fiction or a fantasy novel. (…) Our thanks go to Bruno Arpaia for writing this book.”

    Carlo Rovelli, Corriere della Sera

  • “When Bruno Arpaia is passionate about a theme, he studies it in depth then builds a compelling plot around it. (…) A plot which would be void of significance however, without his powerful and precise writing. ” Something, Out There” is not an essay hiding a novel, but rather a passionate road movie (and thus it would be an excellent subject for a real film).”

    Il Fatto Quotidiano

  • “The reconstruction of the debate on climate is extremely accurate, based on a meticulous study of sources and inspired by a critical attitude towards technological modernity. The part that is most exquisitely fictionalised – the epic, the adventurous, picaresque-type journey -is fast paced, and is written with a knowledgeable use of the language of this genre (…): it reminds us of the MadMax cinema series.”

    Filippo La Porta, Il Sole 24 Ore

  • “Arpaia goes for the well decoded genre of post-apocalyptic science-fiction. And the result is excellent. (…) The most convincing and original part is the reconstruction of how the characters come to find themselves in their brutal present situation. Arpaia has done much research, and mixes real data with futuristic hypotheses, thus conveying his concerns on the future on our society.”

    Corriere del Mezzogiorno

  • “Conveying the prob of global warming in an effective literary fashion, would require not only a talent for narrative but also a degree of scientific sensitivity – something which, where writers are concerned,(…) is both rare and improbable, though not impossible, as proven by Bruno Arpaia.”

    Piergiorgio Odifreddi, La Repubblica

Rights Sold

Spain: Alianza

Bruno Arpaia

Bruno Arpaia was born in Ottaviano (Naples) in 1957. He is a journalist, essayist and novelist, and has translated the works of Spanish and Latin-American writers such as José Ortega y Gasset, Gabriel García Márquez and Javier Cercas. All his books are published by Guanda: among them are the novels L’Angelo della Storia/The Angel of History (2001) translated into 8 languages, Il passato davanti a noi/The Past ahead of us (2006), L’energia del vuoto/The Vacuum Energy (2011), Raccontare, resistere/To Tell, to Resist, a conversation with Luis Sepúlveda, the essay L’avventura di scrivere romanzi/The Adventure of Writing Novels with Javier Cercas, the noir Prima della battaglia/Before the Battle (2015), Qualcosa là fuori/ Something, Out There (2018), Il fantasma dei fatti/The Fact Ghost (2020).

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