| Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories Revised Edition Contributor(s): Verga, Giovanni (Author), McWilliam, G. H. (Translator), McWilliam, G. H. (Introduction by) |
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ISBN: 0140447415 ISBN-13: 9780140447415 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $14.40 Product Type: Paperback Published: January 2000 Annotation: Born into a well-to-do Sicilian family, Giovanni Verga became an active observer of Milanese salon society in the 1870s and 1880s but eventually found in the everyday lives of Sicilian peasants the inspiration for his finest narratives. Love, adultery, and honor are recurring themes in the stories collected here, set against the scorched landscapes of the slopes of Mount Etna and the Plain of Catania. Verga's rich naturalism and originality of style are faithfully rendered in G. H. McWilliam's superb translations. In addition to the title story, the basis for Pietro Mascagni's operatic masterpiece, this volume includes "Nedda, " the groundbreaking narrative of Italian verismo, as well as "Jeli the Shepherd" and "Rosso Malpelo, " which D. H. Lawrence considered two of the finest stories ever written. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Classics - Fiction | Short Stories (single Author) - Fiction | Literary |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 00267751 |
| Series: Penguin Classics |
| Physical Information: 0.48" H x 5.14" W x 7.81" (0.42 lbs) 272 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The stories of Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) are wonderful evocations of ordinary Italian life, focusing in particular on his native Sicily. In an original and dynamic prose style, he portrays such eternal human themes as love, honour and adultery with rich and colourful language. The inspiration for Mascagni's opera, 'Cavalleria Rusticana' depicts a young man's triumphal return home from the army, spoilt when he learns that his beloved is engaged to another man. Verga's acute awareness of the hardships and aspirations of peasant life can be seen in stories such as 'Nedda', 'Picturesque Lives' and 'Black Bread', while others such as 'The Reverend' and 'Don Licciu Papa' show the dominance of the church and the law in the Sicilian communities he portrays so vividly. |