Italian tales: an anthology of contemporary Italian fiction

293 Pages·2004·1.69 MB·English

by  Massimo Riva

Italian Literature and Thought Series
The Italian Literature and Thought Series makes available in English repre-
sentative works of Italian culture. Although the series focuses on the modern
and contemporary periods, it does not neglect the humanistic roots of Italian
thought. The series includes monographs, anthologies, and critically updated
republications of canonical works, as well as works of general interest.
advisory board
Peter Carravetta
City University of New York
Umberto Eco
University of Bologna
Giuseppe Mazzotta
Yale University
Lucia Re
University of California, Los Angeles
Massimo Riva
Brown University
Paolo Valesio
Columbia University
Rebecca West
University of Chicago
Italian Tales
An Anthology of Contemporary Italian Fiction
Edited by Massimo Riva
yale university press new haven & london
Copyright © 2004by Yale University. All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations,
in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107and 108of the
U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press),
without written permission from the publishers.
Designed by Rebecca Gibb. Set in Janson type by Integrated Publishing Solutions.
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Italian tales : an anthology of contemporary Italian fiction / edited by Massimo Riva.
p. cm.—(Italian literature and thought series)
Includes bibligraphical references.
ISBN 0-300-09530-9
1. Short stories, Italian—Translations into English. 2. Italian fiction—21st
century—Translations into English. I. Riva, Massimo. II. Series.
PQ4257.E5I84 2004
853(cid:2).0108092—dc22
2004042281
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council on Library Resources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction
Mapping Contemporary Italian Fiction xi
prologue
Consuming the View 3
Luigi Malerba
part i
• Ruins with a View
The Keeper of Ruins 11
Gesualdo Bufalino
Zardino 21
Sebastiano Vassalli
The Self-Awareness of the Labyrinth 40
Giorgio Manganelli
Lost Road 61
Gianni Celati
part ii
• Memory Lanes
The Penumbra We Have Crossed 79
Lalla Romano
On the Neverending Terrace 90
Anna Maria Ortese
The Piazza 100
Fabrizia Ramondino
Great Bear, Little Bear 117
Ginevra Bompiani
vi
part iii
• Vanishing Points
Windswept Lane 129
Antonio Tabucchi
Reaching Dew Point 144
Daniele Del Giudice
Montedidio 157
Erri De Luca
Leo’s World 168
Pier Vittorio Tondelli
part iv
• Views from Afar
The Sea Voyage of Baron Mandralisca 187
Vincenzo Consolo
Melodrama 201
Pier Maria Pasinetti
From the Diary of Baron Scarpia 210
Paola Capriolo
vii
The Day of Thanksgiving 221
Paolo Valesio
epilogue
Leave-taking 245
Franco Ferrucci
257
Credits
viii
Acknowledgments
An anthology is a collective enterprise, as I came to realize over
the years I worked on this project. Among the people I would like to
publicly acknowledge for their contribution to one aspect or an-
other of the final product: my longtime colleague in the Italian De-
partment at Brown University and fine translator Anthony Oldcorn,
especially for the two pieces he translated and generously contributed
to this work; various editors at Yale University Press, including in
particular Jonathan Brent and John Kulka; the director of the Yale
Italian Series (and one of the writers included here), Paolo Valesio;
my manuscript editor, Eliza Childs; and the anonymous readers who
provided critical insight and helpful suggestions. Finally, thanks to
Brown University for providing financial support. My debt to my
wife, Lesley, my in-house editor and the real coauthor of all my
work, goes beyond gratitude.
ix