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The Leather Jacket
Cesare Pavese, prize-winning author of such novels as The Moon and the Bonfire, Among Women Only and The Devil in the Hills, also wrote a number of short stories which he rarely mentioned to friends or colleagues. But far from being minor works, the nine tales presented here reveal Pavese's skill and mastery of the form. These stories reflect, among other things, the harsh life endured by the country people, the hopes and fears of adolescence and the pain of being in love. This selection has been chosen and introduced by Margaret Crosland.
183 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1980
About the author
Cesare Pavese
363 books1,357 followersCesare Pavese was born in a small town in which his father, an official, owned property. He attended school and later, university, in Turin. Denied an outlet for his creative powers by Fascist control of literature, Pavese translated many 20th-century American writers in the 1930s and '40s: Sherwood Anderson, Gertrude Stein, John Steinbeck, John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner; a 19th-century writer who influenced him profoundly, Herman Melville (one of his first translations was of Moby Dick); and the Irish novelist James Joyce. He also published criticism, posthumously collected in La letteratura americana e altri saggi (1951; American Literature, Essays and Opinions, 1970).
A founder and, until his death, an editor of the publishing house of Einaudi, Pavese also edited the anti-Fascist review La Cultura. His work led to his arrest and imprisonment by the government in 1935, an experience later recalled in “Il carcere” (published in Prima che il gallo canti, 1949; in The Political Prisoner, 1955) and the novella Il compagno (1947; The Comrade, 1959). His first volume of lyric poetry, Lavorare stanca (1936; Hard Labour, 1976), followed his release from prison. An initial novella, Paesi tuoi (1941; The Harvesters, 1961), recalled, as many of his works do, the sacred places of childhood. Between 1943 and 1945 he lived with partisans of the anti-Fascist Resistance in the hills of Piedmont.
The bulk of Pavese's work, mostly short stories and novellas, appeared between the end of the war and his death. Partly through the influence of Melville, Pavese became preoccupied with myth, symbol, and archetype. One of his most striking books is Dialoghi con Leucò (1947; Dialogues with Leucò, 1965), poetically written conversations about the human condition. The novel considered his best, La luna e i falò (1950; The Moon and the Bonfires, 1950), is a bleak, yet compassionate story of a hero who tries to find himself by visiting the place in which he grew up. Several other works are notable, especially La bella estate (1949; in The Political Prisoner, 1955).
Shortly after receiving the Strega Prize for it, Pavese took his own life in his hotel room by taking an overdose of pills.
A founder and, until his death, an editor of the publishing house of Einaudi, Pavese also edited the anti-Fascist review La Cultura. His work led to his arrest and imprisonment by the government in 1935, an experience later recalled in “Il carcere” (published in Prima che il gallo canti, 1949; in The Political Prisoner, 1955) and the novella Il compagno (1947; The Comrade, 1959). His first volume of lyric poetry, Lavorare stanca (1936; Hard Labour, 1976), followed his release from prison. An initial novella, Paesi tuoi (1941; The Harvesters, 1961), recalled, as many of his works do, the sacred places of childhood. Between 1943 and 1945 he lived with partisans of the anti-Fascist Resistance in the hills of Piedmont.
The bulk of Pavese's work, mostly short stories and novellas, appeared between the end of the war and his death. Partly through the influence of Melville, Pavese became preoccupied with myth, symbol, and archetype. One of his most striking books is Dialoghi con Leucò (1947; Dialogues with Leucò, 1965), poetically written conversations about the human condition. The novel considered his best, La luna e i falò (1950; The Moon and the Bonfires, 1950), is a bleak, yet compassionate story of a hero who tries to find himself by visiting the place in which he grew up. Several other works are notable, especially La bella estate (1949; in The Political Prisoner, 1955).
Shortly after receiving the Strega Prize for it, Pavese took his own life in his hotel room by taking an overdose of pills.
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August 27, 2026
A well written collection of nine short, ordinary character sketch stories. First published in 1953, 1946, & 1960 and first translated to English in 1964.
Festival Night - a number of characters are described. A padre argues with a rebel of a young lad, Biscione. Biscione threatens to leave foster care to earn more than he does and is able to negotiate a better deal so he can save a little money. A woman talks about her male partner who spends all of the festival avoiding her and going into all the other bars.
Land of Exile - an engineer from Turin in northern Italy travels to a Southern Italy village to work on a bridge and describes some of the characters he meets whilst he is there. Ciccio, a beggar who had once been married but prefers to sleep under a bridge. Oromo, a prisoner who is estranged from his wife. She has been living with another man since Otino began his five year sentence two years ago.
Misogyny- a nervous couple stay at a small village inn overnight as they had run out of petrol for their car. They are in Italy and hope to cross the mountains to France.
The Cornfield - young woman who works in a factory and lives with her mother and father, had carelessly stated to a young lad that she wished her father’s corn stalks could be slashed.
The Idol - The narrator, by accident, sees Mina, his old girlfriend in a brothel. He goes back to see her numerous times and proposes marrying her. Mina refuses to marry him even though she states she loves him.
The Leather Jacket - A young boy narrates about what he sees when he hangs around a cafe at a boat hire station run by Ceresa. A young woman named Nora starts working there and Ceresa and the young woman becomes close friends. The boy is jealous of Nora taking up Ceresa’s time, as before she arrived, Ceresa spent more time with the boy, going fishing and fixing up the boats.
First Love - The narrator, a boy of 13 years old has a friend, Nino. Nino is a rascal and does favours for an older teenager, Bruno. Bruno can drive a car and has some sexual encounters. In one, he drives Nino and the narrator to a hillside rendezvous and asks Nino to be lookout in case the woman’s boyfriend that Bruno is having sex with comes, Nino is to honk the car horn. Nino waits until he thinks Bruno is just about to have intercourse with the woman, then honks the horn. Bruno comes, realizes Nino is playing, and beats Nino badly.
Wedding Trip - Narrator reflects on his two year marriage to the doting Cilia. The story begins with the narrating to inform that Cilia is dead. The narrator married as he did not want to live alone. Cilia loved him and supported him wholeheartedly. She did everything to help him, making his life relaxing when he wasn’t working. He went out all day working on commission. Cilia ended up friends with a woman in the block of apartments they lived in. He became very dissatisfied with life. In the end he proposed a day trip to Genoa.
Summer Storm - Two young men go for a row of a river. One had done one year in prison. Separately two young women also go for a row on the same river. Clara goes for a swim and Bianca remains in the row boat. A summer storm occurs.
Festival Night - a number of characters are described. A padre argues with a rebel of a young lad, Biscione. Biscione threatens to leave foster care to earn more than he does and is able to negotiate a better deal so he can save a little money. A woman talks about her male partner who spends all of the festival avoiding her and going into all the other bars.
Land of Exile - an engineer from Turin in northern Italy travels to a Southern Italy village to work on a bridge and describes some of the characters he meets whilst he is there. Ciccio, a beggar who had once been married but prefers to sleep under a bridge. Oromo, a prisoner who is estranged from his wife. She has been living with another man since Otino began his five year sentence two years ago.
Misogyny- a nervous couple stay at a small village inn overnight as they had run out of petrol for their car. They are in Italy and hope to cross the mountains to France.
The Cornfield - young woman who works in a factory and lives with her mother and father, had carelessly stated to a young lad that she wished her father’s corn stalks could be slashed.
The Idol - The narrator, by accident, sees Mina, his old girlfriend in a brothel. He goes back to see her numerous times and proposes marrying her. Mina refuses to marry him even though she states she loves him.
The Leather Jacket - A young boy narrates about what he sees when he hangs around a cafe at a boat hire station run by Ceresa. A young woman named Nora starts working there and Ceresa and the young woman becomes close friends. The boy is jealous of Nora taking up Ceresa’s time, as before she arrived, Ceresa spent more time with the boy, going fishing and fixing up the boats.
First Love - The narrator, a boy of 13 years old has a friend, Nino. Nino is a rascal and does favours for an older teenager, Bruno. Bruno can drive a car and has some sexual encounters. In one, he drives Nino and the narrator to a hillside rendezvous and asks Nino to be lookout in case the woman’s boyfriend that Bruno is having sex with comes, Nino is to honk the car horn. Nino waits until he thinks Bruno is just about to have intercourse with the woman, then honks the horn. Bruno comes, realizes Nino is playing, and beats Nino badly.
Wedding Trip - Narrator reflects on his two year marriage to the doting Cilia. The story begins with the narrating to inform that Cilia is dead. The narrator married as he did not want to live alone. Cilia loved him and supported him wholeheartedly. She did everything to help him, making his life relaxing when he wasn’t working. He went out all day working on commission. Cilia ended up friends with a woman in the block of apartments they lived in. He became very dissatisfied with life. In the end he proposed a day trip to Genoa.
Summer Storm - Two young men go for a row of a river. One had done one year in prison. Separately two young women also go for a row on the same river. Clara goes for a swim and Bianca remains in the row boat. A summer storm occurs.
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