Dispute Over a Very Italian Piglet by Amara Lakhous

Author:Amara Lakhous
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Europa
Published: 2014-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

I meet Sara Bertini in a restaurant near her office on Via Po. She looks great. She has a sensual smile that makes my head spin. We order a branzino with grilled vegetables for her and sea bream with salad for me. Sara takes a couple of DVDs out of her purse and offers them to me. I glance at the covers, which show Michele Placido with hair not yet white. But the writing is illegible.

“These are the versions of The Octopus in Russian and Japanese.”

“I read somewhere that The Octopus is the most famous Italian TV series outside of Italy.”

“Exactly. I have the complete collection in all languages.”

“Really?”

Sara is an expert in the subject, a sort of Octopus-ologist. She explains that in Russia our Commissario Cattani, alias Placido, is a much loved star. In Japan he rivals Alain Delon. In Algeria, in the late eighties, the series was broadcast with the title Mafia during Ramadan. Millions of Algerians remained riveted to their TVs, deserting the mosques at evening prayers. Sara shows me some newspaper clippings. One in particular goes back a few years and discusses the responses provoked by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s statements during an official visit to Rome by Putin: “Before us, Italy was famous in the world for the series Octopus, but now it’s a country to be reckoned with.” Michele Placido responds: “I was sorry to hear the prime minister’s words. It’s true, I am the most popular Italian in Russia. Not me, but the character I played, Commissario Cattani, in whom the Russians have seen a clean and respectable Italian who fights the power of the Mafia. Could this be what annoys Prime Minister Berlusconi?”

“Enzo, our project can count on the international success of The Octopus. I’m sure I can find the necessary funding in Italy and abroad.”

“Fantastic.”

“We could aim at serial rights, make an Albanian, Romanian, Nigerian Octopus . . . What do you think?”

“Good project.”

“When can we start the actual work?”

“Whenever you like. Let’s meet for dinner in the next few days.”

“O.K.”

“People say I’m a good cook.”

“Really?” I see that Sara is curious.

“Really. You want to come to my house for dinner?”

“O.K.”

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