Fable of Venice

Written and drawn by Hugo Pratt, Fable of Venice is the 25e ventures Corto Maltese. It succeeds Corto Maltese in Siberia and is held of the 10 with the April 25th 1921, in 4 chapters:

the Cabin of Hermes
the Enigma of the Baron Corvo
the Staircase of the meetings
the Revelation of Saint-Marc

In this account, Corto Maltese is with Venice for the third time. The backdrop of the account is the rise of the Fascisme in Italy, after the First World War. The author brings his memories of youth here. A world which does not exist any more and one adventure which finishes in a dream. “It is the testimony of my love for Venice. ” he said.

Protagonists

Historical characters

the poet Gabriele D' Annunzio
the writer Frederick Rolfe said, the Baron Corvo.

Principal characters of fiction

Corto Maltese : A posthumous letter of the baron Corvo the met with the challenge to find a magic stone.
Bepi Faliero : freemason of the cabin Hermes trismegist.
Stevani: to the militia of the black Chemises of Sérénissime belongs.
Hipazia: mathematician and philosopher neoplatonician, girl of Doctor Teone.
Teone: astronomer, astrologer and mathematician. Secret Master of the Hermes cabin.
Melchisedech: scientist of the “old ghetto”.
Raspoutine: appears in dream under the appearance of Saud Khalula.
Small Foot of money: seed saleswoman, it makes team with Corto to help it in her research.
Böeke: wire of Small Foot of money, secretly in love with Hipazia.
Louise Brookszowyc: friend of Small Foot of money, more known under the name of “Beautiful of Milan”.

The account

Attention: what follows, reveals whole or part of the intrigue.

Under the monitoring of the god Abraxas, maconnic cabins and fascistic militia, Corto Maltese is on the track of an emerald.

All the ingredients of a novel of adventure are present:

a enigma;
a legendary emerald: the Clavicle of Solomon;
of the mysterious women;
of the deposed aristocrats;
of the “black Shirts”;
of the maconnic cabins;
of the secret societies;
magic places of Venice.

Four chapters

the Cabin of Hermes

Continued by the fascistic militia, Corto Maltese finds refuge at the Francs-maçons. The fallen night, one of their member, Bepi Faliero accompanies it in the streets by Venice. Making way, the Maltese states to him that it is in the city to seek an emerald, called “Clavicle of Solomon”. They meet then a group of black Chemises carried out by Stevani which seeks noise to them. Passing by there, the poet Gabriele D' Annunzio intervenes to calm the play.

Taking again their way, all three have suddenly spoken about the philosopher neoplatonician, Hipazia and of the writer Frederick Rolfe said, the Baron Corvo. Seeing the interest of Corto Maltese for these two characters, Faliero invites it to meet the philosopher. D' Annunzio, for its part, will try to put it in relation to this Stevani, because his/her father had well-known the Baron Corvo.

the Enigma of the Baron Corvo

Bepi thus takes it along to meet Hipazia. Has suddenly spoken about magic emerald, Corto reveals that little before its death, the Baron sent a riddle to him: the Greek lion loses its septentrional snakeskin between the fogs of Venice…

Later, Corto enters the church of San Pietro di Castello to examine the pulpit of the Apôtre Simon Pierre whose file is decorated of a funerary stele. They are the Arab inscriptions of this stone that the Baron Corvo wanted to decipher.

It goes then to the arsenal to examine and raise the signs engraved with the shoulder of the Greek lion which keeps the entry of it. Then from goes away in the “old man Ghetto”, them to submit to his/her friend, the Melchisedech scientist.

the following day, thinking so that the poet of Annunzio about the father of Stevani said to him, it decides to try to see it in spite of the rainy weather.

Bepi Faliero preceded it. It is already at Stevani to give an account of research to him which Maltese makes. By reading the newspaper of the baron addressed to his father, Stevani tells the tour of the emerald whose trace is lost finally in Venice.

While arriving in front of the house, Corto hears two detonations. It runs inside and discovers wounded lying Stevani. The “black Chemises” make irruptions. Believing the guilty sailor, they continue it.

In the street, two police officers see Corto which fled on the roofs. They enter the house. Innocent Stevani Corto Maltese. Whereas one of the police officers springs towards the attic, it is cut down of a ball in the staircases.

the Staircase of the meetings

Corto continues its race and slips on the wet tiles. Balance loses and fall on a terrace…

Recueilli by Small Foot from money and entrusted to the good care of Louise Brookszowyc, the “Beautiful one of Milan”, it awakes at the end of three days. It reveals to him that Stevani is out of danger, that it cleared it but refuses to reveal the name of the culprit and that the newspaper of the baron was stolen. To crown the whole, one of the police officers was cut down.

the come night, Small Foot of money, accompanied by his/her Böeke son, comes to enquérir of health…

Maintaining on foot, Corto goes to the freemasons to discuss the Stevani business with the secret Master, who is not other than Teone, the father of Hipazia. Corto Maltese shows him the badge maconnic which it found close to the body of the militiaman and who carries it to accept the culpability of one of the members of their institution.

a mason betrayed not his brothers. Teone advises to him to destroy it. On their side, they will be given the responsability to eliminate all the suspicions which weigh on him. ”

But Corto does not want to leave it…

there

the Revelation of Saint-Marc

In this final chapter, our hero seems to touch with the goal, but will not say we more not to reveal the ultimate bounces of this fable.

As for Louise Brookszowyc, it will leave to Buenos Aires, to work for the association of Warsavia.

Anecdotes

For the character of Louise Brookszowyc, Hugo Pratt gave him the features of Louise Brooks, star of the silent film of the Années 1920. It met it later, in Rochester, in the state of New York, at the time of a voyage to the the United States in 1983.
the draftsman Guido Fuga collaborates again with his/her friend Hugo for the various representations of the Venetian city.

First publications

In Italy: Favola di Venezia (Sirat Al-Bunduqiyyah) , appears in the weekly supplement of Europeo , of the n° 21-22 of the June 3rd 1977 with the n° 51 of the December 23rd 1977.
In France: Fable of Venice (Sirat Al-Bunduqiyyah) , appears, in 1979, in the n° 12 to 15, of the monthly magazine (TO BE FOLLOWED) .

Albums

Published at Casterman

1981, Fable of Venice (Sirat Al-Bunduqiyyah) has :. L :. G :. has :. D :. L :. U :. , stitched edition, black and white in 4 chapters:

the Cabin of Hermes - the Enigma of the Baron Corvo - the Staircase of the meetings - the Revelation of Saint-Marc.

1984, Fable of Venice (Sirat Al-Bunduqiyyah) has :. L :. G :. has :. D :. L :. U :. , edition colors in square large size with watercolours of Hugo Pratt.
1998, Fable of Venice , edition connected colors with documents and watercolours of Hugo Pratt.
2001, Fable of Venice , republication, stitched, black and white in 4 chapters:

the Cabin of Hermes - the Enigma of the Baron Corvo - the Staircase of the meetings - the Revelation of Saint-Marc.

2007, Around Corto - Fable of Venice , edition connected colors, format 29,6 X 29,8. Appeared on May 22nd.

a reading guided through the work of Pratt, biographical, trade secret references, anecdotes… Thierry Thomas.

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