Italian Stories

Designed for the language student as well as the lover of fine literature, this convenient dual-language book features eleven great short stories - each one appearing in the original Italian, with vivid and accurate English translations on facing pages. Robert A. Hall, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Italian, Cornell University, has compiled a stimulating and representative collection ranging from a 14th-century selection from Boccaccio’s The Decameron to Alberto Moravia’s Competition, a 20th-century view of lower-and middle-class Italian life. Among the other works are Machiavelli’s Belfagor; Story of the Devil Who Took a Wife, Matteo Bandello’s reflections of 16th-century morals in Madonna Zilia, Giovanni Verga’s objective portrayal of lower-class Sicilian life in Rosso Malpelo, Gabriele d'Annunzio’s revelations of a depraved peasantry in The Idolaters, Luigi Pirandello’s fascinating study of hypocritical social attitudes in The Tight Frock Coat, as well as equally significant works by Antonio Fogazzaro, Renato Fucini, Aldo Palazzeschi, and Corrado Alvaro. Arranged chronologically so that the growth of the literary art may be followed, as well as enjoyed, each story is prefaced by a concise biographical/critical introduction. Also included are linguistic and cultural notes, a valuable Italian-English vocabulary, study questions on each story, and an informative essay on Italian fiction. Students of the Italian language will find the dual-language format timesaving and extremely helpful; readers of Italian literature will want to add this treasury of small masterworks to their personal libraries.