The Art of Narrative in Alessandro Baricco: : in Search of the Old Storytellers That Lives Inside Each of Us

Alessandro Baricco, a contemporary Italian writer, believes in the power of narrative as a form of resistance to the calls from a society that can no longer exchange experiences or see the essential, as it is a victim of certain dullness of words and senses, which is ultimately closely related to the current growing process of dehumanisation. Certainly, Baricco, a writer who is totally aware of his literary work, masters the art of telling stories and invests in all his fictional work intensiveness and passion, in the strategic position taken by narrators. Thus, although we readers are totally enchanted by the enunciation, we are at the same time reminded by the narrator that what really matters is to keep on travelling in the world of fantasy. Quoting Novecento, he points out: ?Non sei fregato veramente finché hai da parte una buona storia, e qualcuno a cui raccontarla.'that is, what really matters, most of all, is to have a good story and someone to listen. In this study, we aim to analyse the writer's procedures for reinventing the storyteller, particularly in Novecento and Castelli di rabbia, in order to revitalise the art of storytelling.