Sicilian Stories

With his novels, short stories, and plays, Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) achieved renown in the Italian verismo (realist) school of writing. This outstanding selection of 12 short stories - most from the Sicilian writer's Vita dei campi (Rural Life) and Novelle rusticane (Rustic Stories) - attests to his storytelling skills.Selections include ""Nedda,"" a short story that initiated Verga's naturalistic depictions of Sicilian peasant life; the much-celebrated ""Cavalleria Rusticana"" (Rustic Chivalry), a tale of flirtation, jealousy, and a deadly duel; and ""L'amante di Gramigna"" (Gramigna's Mistress), a fascinating psychological study. The collection also features ""Reverie,"" ""Jeli the Herdsman,"" ""Nasty Redhead,"" ""The She-Wolf,"" ""Pestilential Air,"" ""Possessions,"" ""The History of St. Joseph's Donkey,"" ""Dark Bread,"" and ""Liberty.""For this dual-language book, the editor has provided excellent new English translations on pages facing the original Italian text, as well as an informative Introduction and notes.