After twenty years, Stefano Benni writes a sequel to his succssful (and very funny) Bar Sport. The quality of the various stories varies, as the author tries to break out of the anthropological description of the local bar fauna. Sometimes it works (as with the story of the fishing club), sometimes it feels like we're being served the leftovers of the previous book. At the same time, the character of the stories becomes less hilarious and more bittersweet. "Sigismondo e Vittorina" is a delightful melancholy story with a pivotal comical role for Ramón the South American parrot. The last story, linked to the bombing of Bologna's railway station is a macabre ending to this book.
I laughed out loud a few times, and generally enjoyed Benni's way with words and how he lards his stories with antiquated phrases to describe pedestrian activities. ( )