Behind the Door

A new translation of Bassani’s moving novel of childhood friendship and the unexpected loss of innocence

The years lived since then have not, in the end, been of any use- I haven’t managed to remedy the suffering which has remained there like a hidden wound, secretly bleeding.

In the fourth book of the Romanzo di Ferrara cycle, Bassani paints a moving portrait of a 1930s childhood in which even the familiar classroom and playground dramas begin to reflect the sinister forces at work in fascist Italy. This powerful tale of friendship and rivalry in the face of the ever encroaching spectre of adulthood adds yet another intricate thread to Bassani’s rich tapestry of his native city, Ferrara.