今日看料

The Singularity by Dino Buzzatti

Translated from the Italian by Anne Milano Appel.

鈥淲ould you be willing, professor,鈥 the colonel asked in a different tone, enunciating the words clearly, 鈥渨ould you be willing to relocate to one of our military zones for a minimum of two years, to participate in a mission of vital national interest, as well as extraordinary scientific value? As far as your position at the university goes, you would ostensibly be on official assignment with full salary, that goes without saying, plus a substantial emolument for the mission itself. I am not able to specify the exact sum but it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty- to twenty-two thousand liras per day.鈥

鈥淧er day?鈥 Ismani exclaimed, dumbfounded.

鈥淧lus spacious, comfortable accommodations, equipped with all the modern conveniences. The location, I read here, is extremely salubrious and delightful. Cigarette?鈥

鈥淭hank you, I don鈥檛 smoke. But what does the work involve?鈥

鈥淭he ministry鈥檚 nomination itself, it seems to me, implies that your specific skills were taken into account … Once the mission has been carried out, of course, the government will not fail to substantially show its … also taking into account the undeniable sacrifice of residing鈥斺

鈥淲hy? Wouldn鈥檛 I be able to leave there?鈥

鈥淭he very importance of the task鈥斺

鈥淔or two years? And the university? What about my classes?鈥

鈥淚 can assure you鈥攁lthough I, as I鈥檝e said, am uninformed as to the nature of the project鈥攖hat you will be given the opportunity to do some exceedingly interesting research … Though to be honest I must add that there has never been any doubt here as to what your answer would be.鈥

鈥淎nd with whom?鈥

鈥淚 am not able to answer that. However, I can mention a name, a great name: Endriade.鈥

鈥淓ndriade? But he鈥檚 in Brazil right now.鈥

鈥淵es, of course, in Brazil. Officially.鈥 The colonel winked.

鈥淣ow, now, professor, there鈥檚 absolutely no reason to be upset. You鈥檙e a little anxious perhaps, am I right?鈥

鈥淢e? I don鈥檛 know.鈥

鈥淲ell, who isn鈥檛 anxious given the frantic life we lead today? In this case, I assure you, such feelings would be totally out of place. The proposal, it鈥檚 my duty to stress, is meant to be flattering. Then too, there鈥檚 no rush. Go home, professor,鈥 he said with a smile, 鈥済o on with your usual life as if I hadn鈥檛 told you a thing … Understand? … As if you had never set foot in this office … Think about it, though … Think about it … Should you want, give me a call.鈥

鈥淲hat about my wife? You know, colonel, you may laugh, but we鈥檝e only been married a short time, less than two years.鈥

鈥淐ongratulations, professor,鈥 the colonel said, wrinkling his brow as if considering a difficult problem. 鈥淗owever, it doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean … If you would personally vouch for her …鈥

鈥淥h, my wife is such a simple creature, so na茂ve, there鈥檚 no danger that … Besides, she has never been interested in my research.鈥

鈥淎ll the better that way, I think.鈥 And the colonel laughed. 鈥淐olonel, before鈥斺

鈥淲hat is it, tell me.鈥

鈥淏efore deciding one way or another, wouldn鈥檛 it be possible for me to …?鈥

鈥淜now more about it, you mean?鈥

鈥淲ell yes. Being asked to drop everything for two years without even knowing what鈥斺

鈥淚ndeed, professor, on that point you will have to be patient. I can give you my word that I know nothing more than what I have told you. That鈥檚 not all. You may not want to believe this, but as regards the precise task that will be assigned to you, I鈥檓 afraid there isn鈥檛 a single individual in the entire ministry鈥攏ot one, understand?鈥攚ho is capable of telling you what it is. It seems ludicrous, I know. Not even the chief of staff, perhaps … At times the military鈥檚 top-secret machinery rises to the level of absurdity. Our job is to protect the secret. What鈥檚 concealed inside it, however, is none of our concern. Ah, but you will have time to find out all about it, all the time you want, in two years, I鈥檇 say鈥斺

鈥淓xcuse me, then how did you happen to choose me, for example?鈥

鈥淯s? It certainly wasn鈥檛 us. The recommendation, the suggestion came from the zone itself.鈥

鈥淔rom Endriade?鈥

鈥淒on鈥檛 put words in my mouth, professor. It may have been Endriade but I don鈥檛 know that for certain … No, no, professor, there鈥檚 no hurry. Go back to your classes as if I hadn鈥檛 said a word to you. And thank you for coming. I don鈥檛 want to take up any more of your time.鈥 The colonel stood to accompany Ismani to the door. 鈥淭here鈥檚 absolutely no rush … But think about it, professor. And should you decide …鈥

Ismani and his wife left for 鈥渕ilitary zone 36鈥 in early June, in a car belonging to the Ministry of Defense. A soldier was driving it. They were accompanied by Captain Vestro, a staff officer, about thirty-five years old, stocky, with small beady eyes and an ironic look.

At the time of departure, the Ismanis knew they were headed for Val Texeruda, a well-known vacation area, where Elisa had also vacationed as a girl, many years before. But they didn鈥檛 know any more than that. Rising to the north of Val Texeruda was an extensive range of mountains. Maybe the destination was up there, in some remote spot hidden away among the rock faces, or in the woods, or in an alpine village cleared of its inhabitants and transformed into a military base.

鈥淐aptain,鈥 Mrs. Ismani asked, 鈥渨here exactly are you taking us?鈥

Vestro spoke slowly, as if searching for his words one by one, perhaps out of prudence, almost as if he were afraid of letting some restricted information leak.

鈥淗ere, ma鈥檃m,鈥 he replied, showing her a typewritten sheet of paper, though not handing it over to her. 鈥淭his is the appointed itinerary. Tonight we will stop at Crea. Tomorrow morning, departure at eight thirty. The state highway as far as Sant鈥橝gostino. From that point there鈥檚 a military road. I will have the pleasure, and the honor, of accompanying you to the checkpoint. There my charge will end. Another car will come to pick you up.鈥

鈥淏ut you, captain, have you ever been there?鈥

鈥淲丑别谤别?鈥

鈥淢ilitary zone 36.鈥

鈥淣o, ma鈥檃m, I鈥檝e never been there.鈥

鈥淲hat is it? An atomic plant?鈥

鈥淎n atomic plant …鈥 the officer mused in a vague tone.

鈥淭hat will be interesting for the professor, I imagine.鈥

鈥淏ut I was asking you, captain.鈥

鈥淢e? But I don鈥檛 know anything about it.鈥

鈥淵ou will admit then that it鈥檚 quite curious. You know nothing, my husband knows nothing, at the ministry they know nothing. In fact at the ministry they were extremely reticent, weren鈥檛 they, Ermanno?鈥

鈥淩eticent? Why do you say that?鈥 Ismani said. 鈥淭hey were very courteous.鈥

Vestro smiled faintly.

鈥淪o you see I was right?鈥 Elisa asked.

鈥淩ight about what, sweetheart?鈥

鈥淭hat they called you for the atomic bomb.鈥

鈥淏ut the captain didn鈥檛 say that.鈥

鈥淲ell then,鈥 the woman insisted, 鈥渨hat do they do in this military zone 36 if it鈥檚 not the atom bomb?鈥

鈥淐areful, Morra,鈥 the captain exclaimed, not weighing his words this time, since they were passing a huge truck and the road was rather narrow. Though actually there seemed to be no reason to be alarmed. It was a long straight stretch and no one was approaching from the other direction.

鈥淎s I was saying,鈥 Elisa Ismani went on. 鈥淚 said that if it鈥檚 not the atom bomb, what do they do in this place we鈥檙e going to? And why won鈥檛 they tell us? Even if it were a military secret, we, it seems to me … rather than going there in person …鈥

鈥淵ou referred to an atomic plant.鈥

鈥淣ot referred to. I was only asking.鈥

鈥淲ell, ma鈥檃m,鈥 Captain Vestro said, his answer strained, 鈥淚 think you will have to be patient until you get there. I assure you that I am not in a position to tell you.鈥

鈥淏ut you know, don鈥檛 you?鈥

鈥淚 told you, ma鈥檃m, I have never been there.鈥

鈥淏ut you know what it is they do there, don鈥檛 you?鈥 Ismani listened nervously.

鈥淟ook, ma鈥檃m, and forgive me for being pedantic, there are three possibilities: either it isn鈥檛 a secret but I don鈥檛 know what it is; or I know but it鈥檚 a secret; or it鈥檚 a secret and on top of that I don鈥檛 know what it is. You see that in any case鈥斺

鈥淏ut,鈥 Elisa objected, 鈥測ou could tell us which of the three cases it is.鈥

鈥淭he second,鈥 the officer countered, 鈥渄epending on the level of secrecy. If it were classified top secret, as is often the case in operational plans, for example, it would even ex-tend鈥攁nd the rule expressly prescribes it鈥攖o everything that concerns it, even remotely and partially, even indirectly and negatively. And what does negatively mean? It means that if someone knows that there is such a secret but doesn鈥檛 know what it is, he is even forbidden to reveal that he doesn鈥檛 know it. And note, ma鈥檃m, that though the restriction is seemingly absurd, it has its good reasons. Take our case, for instance, military zone 36. Well then, simply admitting that I am not informed, given my rank and functions, might provide a clue, albeit minimal, to someone who鈥斺

鈥淏ut you know who we are!鈥 Mrs. Ismani exclaimed irritably. 鈥淭he very fact that you are taking us there excludes, I would say, any possibility of suspicion.鈥

鈥淢a鈥檃m, at the entrance to the Military Academy鈥擨 imagine you鈥檝e never been there鈥攖here is an inscription in the vestibule: 鈥楽ecrets have neither family nor friends.鈥 This can be harsh, in certain situations, difficult and objectionable to those close to you, I admit …鈥 He trailed off, he seemed exhausted by the long explanation.

Mrs. Ismani laughed. 鈥淪o, you are diplomatically telling me that you can鈥檛, or won鈥檛, tell us what鈥檚 at this celebrated military zone?鈥

鈥淏ut, ma鈥檃m,鈥 the captain explained with his didactic imperturbability, 鈥淚 never said I knew.鈥

鈥淎ll right, enough. I was a bit petulant. I鈥檓 sorry.鈥 The officer was silent.

今日看料 five minutes went by, then Ismani timidly spoke up. 鈥淔orgive me, captain. You said there were three possibilities. Actually, there are four. Because it might also be that the matter is not secret and that you know what it is.鈥

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 propose that case,鈥 Vestro explained, 鈥渂ecause it seems superfluous.鈥

鈥沦耻辫别谤蹿濒耻辞耻蝉?鈥

鈥淭hat鈥檚 right. In that case … if that were the case I would have told you everything a long time ago! Watch it, Morra!鈥 But the warning to the driver was also superfluous: the curve they were approaching was very gentle and the car wasn鈥檛 doing more than thirty-five.

 

 

Dino Buzzatti (1906-1972) was an Italian writer, poet, and journalist. He wrote works of fiction, short stories, theater plays, and librettos. He was also an artist and painter.

 

Anne Milano Appel has translated works by a number of leading Italian authors for a variety of US and UK publishers. Her work on Daniele Del Giudice has appeared in Translation Review and Massachusetts Review. Her translation of his final novel Orizzonte mobile is currently seeking a publisher, and Lo stadio di Wimbledon will soon appear in English from New Vessel Press as A Fictional Inquiry.

 

This excerpt from was published by arrangement with NYRB Classics and The Italian Literary Agency. Copyright 漏 Dino Buzzati Estate. English translation copyright 漏 Anne Milano Appel 2024.

 

Photo Dino Buzzatti: Public domain | Photo Anne Milano Appel by Andrea Price.

 

Published on August 15, 2024.

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