Need help to this one, please:

Li guardavo (li politici affermati) e li rivedevo in situazioni diverse, nell’altro abbraccio – certamente meno elegante – con i rudi boss, mentre si discuteva e si distribuivano soldi e appalti.

 

I think he's really referring to the physical act of hugging.
In the other hug -for sure less elegant- with the rude/rough/coarse mafia bosses...
Probably saying other before the 'first' hug is the official/normal/accepted hug with other politicians...

 

It sounds strange still, and there's no more context, really... I'll see what I can do. Thank you

 

Sounds strange?

Read this:

http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/...io_Andreotti_due_volte_co_0_96121313928.shtml

 

But how come a first hug is the «official/normal/accepted hug with other politicians...»?

 

You have to ask yourself 'who is speaking here?'.

I'm under the impression that the speaker sees the politicians both on 1. official occasions and on 2. more 'secret' occasions (when they illegaly find agreements to decide who's winning public contracts... ).

So: 1. is what I called 'first' hug (just to make you understand), 2. is what the text calls 'altro' (other).
Now if there is a ALTRO abbraccio (another!), there must also be a previous one, one that comes before that one...
I think other clues are in the text we're missing.

 

Here is the begining of the text until the sentence we're trying to decode. Hope it helps, but I don't know...

Gli adulti si mescolavano nei circoli e nei salotti. Io stesso frequentavo il Country e il più titolato Lauria. Ma ero parte integrante della buona borghesia: le feste, le cene a casa dei Tasca o di Giorgio Inglese, nobili e rispettati. Ou em casa de empresários de sucesso: i Cassina, i Maniglia, gli esattori Salvo, proprietari di una barca che era un transatlantico. Le gite sullo yacht di Benny D’Agostino, dove potevi incontrare professionisti o politici affermati: li guardavo e li rivedevo in situazioni diverse, nell’altro abbraccio – certamente meno elegante – con i rudi boss, mentre si discuteva e si distribuivano soldi e appalti.

 

These people on the yachts/at the parties/evenings are living a good/sophisticated life, a bourgoise life with a certain attention to style... (situation A).

The speaker also sees these same people in another hug (for sure less elegant - than situation A!!) with coarse/unsophisticated mafia bosses, who rule (or contribute to rule) money and the assignments of public contracts...

 

If the «altro abbraccio» was metaphorical it would make more sense, like with the meaning of «in other businesses», less elegant. I can only think of it like this. But you told you thought it was the physical hug. I will let this one supended and I'll take care of it in the end. Thank you, Elena, for your efforts once more.

 

I understand what you mean.. normally abbraccio has no 'second' metaphorical meaning.. a abbraccio is a abbraccio. Notice here he also adds 'less elegant'...

We have l'abbraccio della morte, but I believe in Portuguese it's the same...

If you leave hug in portuguese I think it will have as much 'metaphorical' meaning as it has in Italian (same percentage , i.e. maybe 5% ).

EDIT: I think it's really referred to the image of ol' friends meeting somewhere and hugging... I told you about this famous kiss (not even a hug...).