Stories of Southern Italy

by Ella Carr (Editor), Elena Ferrante (Contributor), Elsa Morante (Contributor)

Woven through all these tales are the unique histories and mythologies of the regions of Southern Italy, encompassing Sicily, Calabria, Cantania, Basilicata, Apulia and Campania. Theocritus, Virgil and Ovid evoke a Sicily populated by Cyclopes and sea monsters, while in an excerpt from The Smile of the Unknown Mariner Vincenzo Consolo depicts the island in 1860, on the frontline in Italy's war of independence. The South's legendary legacy of brigandage and organized crime enlivens the stories of Leonardo Sciascia, Carlo Levi and Joseph Conrad. Curzio Malaparte and Norman Lewis immortalize the wreckage of Naples and the indomitable spirit of its people during World War II, and Elena Ferrante paints a spectacular portrait of a poor but vibrant Neapolitan neighbourhood in an excerpt from the bestselling My Brilliant Friend. Collectively, these entertaining tales plunge readers into the sometimes harsh and troubled, but always seductive and vital world of Italy's Mezzogiorno

Genres: Italy, Italian Literature

432 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2022

Reviews

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies are usually hit or miss but this one displayed a nice range of authors and stories from each region in Southern Italy. An honourable mention goes to the mythography chapter highlighting the oft-forgotten mythology of this region, which includes excerpts from the Aeneid and the Metamorphoses.

The Sicily chapter was my favourite and introduced me to some writers whose work I will have to check out in full, among these Elio Vittorini and further work by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa.

The Campania section held the worst thing I have ever read; an excerpt from Curzio Malaparte's "The Skin". Then again, it presents an equally valuable fascist perspective on the region during the 1940's.

[Ella Palfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful little anthology! Loses a star though because I think it is missing some critical essays to explain/ shape each section; provide some more context etc

[Victoria Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous collection of excerpts and short stories from the ancients to the 80s. Particularly struck by the stories of the Allied arrival in Naples told from the Italian perspective.