Reviews on Goodreads
While browsing the awarded books in Audible’s Italian library, I discovered Two Lives by Emanuele Trevi. This luminous and moving work won the 2021 Premio Strega, Italy’s most prestigious literary prize. Two Lives presents the story of two friends of the author, Rocco Carbone and Pia Pera—both writers who passed away. Trevi recalls their personal and professional journeys—their ambitions, connections, and accomplishments. Through these memories, he also explores the profound emotional bond they shared.
As he tells their stories, Trevi touches on the mysterious power of writing. He suggests that writing captures external events and stirs inner forces, bringing to life the spirits of those we’ve lost. Writing becomes a healing process, allowing the narrator to overcome his grief and, ultimately, to live in peace.
Through writing the journey of his deceased friends he concludes that this is not only productive but necessary. We, the ones who stay, must summon the dead by remembering them deeply so we can finally let them go.
Two Lives, Two Endings
“We live two lives, both destined to end: the first is the physical life, made of blood and breath; the second is the one that takes place in the mind of those who loved us.”
Emanuele Trevi—Due Vite, 2020
I found the described concept of “two lives” particularly thought-provoking. The idea that our second life ends only when we are forgotten. The concept that we are dead only when our memory fades from the human minds reverberates ancient philosophies. As immortalized in Marcus Aurelius’ quote, “What we do now echoes in eternity,” famously paraphrased in the movie Gladiator.
The book also explores the relationship between memory and art, particularly photography and writing. While photography can instantly capture moments in time, it deceives us into considering those moments truly immortal. Writing, on the other hand, unfolds in a sequence, allowing memories to emerge slowly, piece by piece. Through this process, we somehow bring the dead to life again in our words.
A Story Full of Quotable Wisdom
This touching book is filled with powerful quotes that made me reach for my highlighter more often than expected. I have adapted some that stood out from the original Italian:
“Writing is a singularly good way of evoking the dead, and I suggest anyone nostalgic for someone to do it: not think about the missed one but to write about it”. — Emanuele Trevi
“We were not born to become wise, but to resist, to escape, to steal a little pleasure from a world that was not made for us.” — Emanuele Trevi
“Our friends are also representations of the eras of our lives. Moments we have lived as if navigating in an archipelago, crossing capes that seemed very distant to us while remaining increasingly alone. Incapable of anticipating the reef or rock in which we’ll, once and for all, crash when our turn arrives.” — Emanuele Trevi
This is a reading that masterfully blends personal reflection with philosophy on memory, loss, and the power of writing. It also well reflects on the fleeting nature of existence and the impact we leave on those who love us. Read it!
