Little Novels of Sicily by Giovanni Verga

Drawn from the Sicily of Giovanni Verga's childhood - at the time, the poorest place in Europe - the stories in 'Little Novels of Sicily' capture life's inimitably ironic blend of beauty and sorrow. A loudly lamenting widower enters negotiations for a new wife even before the grave is filled; a donkey driver finds the patronage of the king a mixed blessing; and successful revolutionaries discover that liberty is of short duration. Full of twists in perspective and lyrically described landscapes, Verga's stories record the class struggles of Risorgimento Italy, the relationship between men and the land, and the cynical yet reassuring intimacy of life in a rural community.