D. H. Lawrence said that Sicily in the mid 1800s was "the poorest place in Europe. A Sicilian peasant might live through his whole life without ever possessing as much as a dollar." Giovanni Verga, one of the greatest writers Italy ever produced, grew up in the circumstances Lawrence describes. In L[...]
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 [...]
A licentious woman coerces her son-in-law into agreeing to an illicit affair; a young boy, forced to work down a mine to make his living, is robbed of his childhood and ultimately his life; a returning soldier toys with the affections of local girls, and unleashes a sea of passion and vengeance from[...]