Sbuħija Moħlija’ u stejjer oħra

“Sbuħija Moħlija” u stejjer oħra ta’ Guy de Maupassant huma kollezzjoni ta’ stejjer qosra maqlubin għall-Malti minn Toni Aquilina. Wieħed jista’jgħid mingħajr biża’ li jiżbalja li Maupassant la kellu reliġjon u lanqas filosofija vera tal-ħajja. B’danakollu tinħass sew fih l-influwenza pessimista tal-filosfu Ġermaniż Arthur Schopenhauer. F’din il-ġabra, f'”Minwett” u “Sbuħija Moħlija” l-aktar li ser tidher tispikka din l-influwenza.

It-traduttur ma setax ma jinkludix ukoll storja li tittratta l-makabru, jew kif soltu nirreferu għalih, ir-rakkont fantastiku li tant u tant eċċella fih Guy de Maupassant. L-għażla waqgħet fuq “Id il-Maqruħ”, ispirata minn ‘rigal’ li kien qala’ mingħand Algernon Charles Swinburne bħala tifkira, meta saru midħla ta’ xulxin fid-dar li ċertu Powel kellu Etretat fin-Normandija, fejn ġie mistieden wara s-sehem tiegħu biex isalvaw ħajjet il-poeta Ingliż mill-għarqa fis-sajf tal-1866.

Fin-Normandija hemm ambjentati talanqas terz mill-istejjer li kiteb Maupassant. Fil-fatt, hu baqa’ fidil lejn art twelidu (le pays de Caux) sal-aħħar ta’ ħajtu. Għad li f’ “Il-Papa ta’ Simon” u f'”Magħmudija” ma nsibux referenza diretta għal dan ir-reġjun m’hemmx dubju li huma ambjentati hemmhekk. Referenzi diretti għan-Normandija nsibuhom f’ “Ix-Xwejjaħ Pa Milon” u f'”Il-Maqruħ”. Biss, waqt li f’tal-ewwel l-aktar li tispikka hija t-tema tal-gwerra Franco-Prussjana tal-1870-71, f’tat-tieni jispikka, kif diġà għedt, il-makabru, u fin-nisġa tal-istorja n-Normandija talterna ma’ Pariġi.

Il-maġġoranza tal-istejjer f’din il-ġabra fil-fatt huma għal kollox ambjentati f’Pariġi, ibda minn “Minwett” fejn l-azzjoni tiżvolġi fil-ġnien ta’ Luxembourg, tkompli bir-rakkont “Ġifa” u spiċċa fin-novella “Sbuħija Moħlija”. Fi “Vjaġġ Sanitarju” mbagħad niltaqgħu mal-koppja Panard li mill-Belt Kapitali titlaq lejn il-Mediterran biex tevita l-mard, iżda ma ddumx wisq ma tidħol lura minħabba malintiż pjuttost komiku. Daqstant ieħor komika l-istorja “Il-Karezzi” li r-referenza li hemm fiha għall-knisja ta’ La Madeleine tagħmilha ovvja fejn joqogħdu l-protagonisti.

Imma t-traduttur għażel “Il-Karezzi” wkoll għax fiha Maupassant jitkellem fuq in-nisa. Nafu li hu kellu x’jaqsam ma’ ħafna u ħafna nisa. Iżda fl-istess ħin xejn ma kellu opinjoni tajba tagħhom. Kien jarahom bħala kreaturi inferjuri imma li kapaċi ijassru lir-raġel bi ġmielhom u jekk ikun hemm bżonn saħansitra bl-istess dgħjufija tagħhom. Wieħed ma jiskantax għalhekk li hu kien ifittxhom għall-avventuri sesswali u xejn aktar.

Fl-aħħar nett Aquilina ma riedx iħalli barra l-element eżotiku li tant kienu jħobbu jdaħħlu f’kitbiethom l-awturi tal-epoka tiegħu. Id-drawwiet ħorox f’ambjent daqstant ieħor aħrax bħal dawk li wieħed kien jiltaqa’ magħhom fil-gżira ta’ Korsika jammontaw għal esperjenza għariba maqtugħa mir-rutina tal-ħajja kif kienu mdorrijin jgħixuha fl-hexagone. Wara “Vendetta”, li dehret fit-tieni volum, hawnhekk qed jipproponi “Brigant Korsikan”.

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‍”Sbuħija Moħlija” u stejjer oħra by Guy de Maupassant is a collection of short stories translated into Maltese by Toni Aquilina, D. ès L. de Maupassant professed neither a belief in religion nor in a philosophy of life, but the pessimistic influence of Schopenhauer is strongly felt within him and stands out in this book. No translator who wants to do justice to de Maupassant can leave out at least one story dealing with the macabre, the narrative in which the author excelled. Aquilinas choice fell on “Id il-Maqruħ”, inspired by a present given to him by Algernon Charles Swinborne as a memento when they became acquainted in Eretat (Normandy).

One third of the stories written by de Maupassant are set in Normandy as the author remained loyal to his birthplace until the end of his life. Although in “Il-Papà ta Simon” and “Magħmudija” direct references to the region are absent, it is beyond doubt that there is where these stories are set. Direct references to Normandy are found in “Ix-Xwejjaħ Pa Milon” and in “Id il-Maqruħ”. In the former the main theme is the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71, whereas in the latter it is the macabre and Normandy alternates with Paris in the plot. In “Minwett” and “Ġifa”, the action develops in Luxembourg garden. In “Vjaġġ Sanitarju”, we come across a married couple who leave the capital city for the Mediterranean to avoid illnesses, but who return soon afterward because of a comical misunderstanding. Likewise comical is the story “Il-Karezzi” where reference to the church of La Madeleine leaves the reader in no doubt as to where the protagonists live.

The translator also chose “Il-Karezzi” because here de Maupassant speaks about women and we all know that he had affairs with many women. But at the same time, he did not hold them in high esteem. He saw them as inferior creatures able to enslave men with their beauty, and if need be with their weaknesses as well. Therefore, one would not be surprised that he sought women exclusively for sexual encounters. Finally, Aquilina did not want to leave out the exotic element in de Maupassant’s work, with which many authors of his time loved to pepper their writings. The harsh customs in an equally harsh environment that one came across in Corsica amounted to a strange experience outside the normal routine of everyday life for people in France. “Vendetta”, which came out in the second volume of Maupassant’s short stories already translated into Maltese, is followed here by “Brigant Korsikan”.