Little Novels of Sicily

by Giovanni Verga

Book Overview

Giovanni Carmelo Verga (2 September 1840 - 27 January 1922) was a Sicilian realist (verista) writer, best known for his depictions of life in his native Sicily, especially the short story (and later... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 188364254X
• ISBN13: 9781883642549
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Steerforth Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Very nice

The perfect book for the avid reader, these are well written and enjoyable. These tales bring a flavor of life to the reader that is rare in writing today.

The real Sicily

I am doing historical research on Italy and Sicily and this book gives a wonderful view into the lives of ordinary people of the Sicilian countryside. Very frank accounts that are not sugar-coated.

Great Libretto

This is a wonderful little collection of short stories by the Sicilian author Giovanni Verga. I had never read any Sicilian literature before Verga, and I'm so glad that I started with this book! It has further piqued my interest in Sicilian culture and the Sicilian language. Verga uses his words very carefully in order to paint the pictures of the sorrows, joys, sufferings and moments of rejoicing in eastern Sicily. This is definitely worth the money for anyone who is interesed in Sicilian or Italian literature.

The whole world is a small town

The whole world is a small town is a sicilian phrase that means no matter where you travel, people will be basically the same. Reading this work by G. Verga gave this saying a whole new meaning for me. I learned that people in Sicily are basically the same today as they were 120 years ago. Giovanni Verga was born and lived in a small town in Sicily called Vizzini. This is the same town that my parents are from. I have spent many summers with my grandmother there. The distant past was always portrayed as somehow better by my grandmother. According to her, our ancestors did not succomb to petty human weaknesses. After enjoying these short stories I realize that my grandmother remembered her youth more with nostalgic fantasy than historic accuracy. This work wonderfully portrays human motivations, strenghts and weaknesses. It was a wonderful revelation to realize that the whole world is a small town, not only in the dimension of space but also in the dimension of time.