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 Mascagni's opera, 'Cavalleria Rusticana' depicts a young man's triumphal return home from the army, spoilt when he learns that his beloved is engaged to another man. Verga's acute awareness of the hardships and aspirations of peasant life can be seen in stories such as 'Nedda', 'Picturesque Lives' and 'Black Bread', while others such as 'The Reverend' and 'Don Licciu Papa' show the dominance of the church and the law in the Sicilian communities he portrays so vividly.

Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories (Penguin Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Verga, Giovanni

Literary

Penguin Classics

David Lan's new version of Verga's classic play"Mothers like me? We should be burned alive. We should be fed to the pigs, mothers like me." A mother fumes about her daughter's love affair as they hurtle towards tragedy in Verga's passionate Italian drama, first performed in 1894.David Lan's acclaimed new version premiered at the RSC in June 2000.

La Lupa (Modern Plays)

Lan, David

Humor & Entertainment

Methuen Drama

With his novels, short stories, and plays, Giovanni Verga (1840–1922) achieved renown in the Italian verismo (realist) school of writing. This outstanding selection of 12 short stories — most from the Sicilian writer's Vita dei campi (Rural Life) and Novelle rusticane (Rustic Stories) — attests to his storytelling skills. Selections include "Nedda," a short story that initiated Verga's naturalistic depictions of Sicilian peasant life; the much-celebrated "Cavalleria Rusticana" (Rustic Chivalry), a tale of flirtation, jealousy, and a deadly duel; and "L'amante di Gramigna" (Gramigna's Mistress), a fascinating psychological study. The collection also features "Reverie," "Jeli the Herdsman," "Nasty Redhead," "The She-Wolf," "Pestilential Air," "Possessions," "The History of St. Joseph's Donkey," "Dark Bread," and "Liberty." For this dual-language book, the editor has provided excellent new English translations on pages facing the original Italian text, as well as an informative Introduction and notes.

Sicilian Stories: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language Italian)

Short Stories & Anthologies

Dover Publications

Three generations of fishermen conduct an epic struggle against nature, fate, and society in this moving tale by acclaimed realist writer Giovanni Verga. Written in 1881 and set in the Sicilian village of Aci Trezza during the 1860s, the novel recounts an impoverished family's attempts to pay off a crushing debt, to reclaim their lost boat and ancestral home, and to reunite their scattered clan. This groundbreaking work of fiction offers a revealing look at the social and political climate in post-revolutionary Italy. Verga combines lyrical prose and inspiring social commentary to chronicle the poverty suffered by provincial Sicilian communities after Garibaldi's conquest. Rich in character and starkly honest, The House by the Medlar Tree offers a life-affirming story of misfortunes endured with humor and courage.

The House by the Medlar Tree

United States

Dover `

The she-wolf, and other stories

University of California Press

Text: English, Italian (translation)

Mastro-Don Gesauldo: A Novel

History & Criticism

Univ. Of California Pr.

Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) is the most important of the Italian Realist School of novelists. This new edition of The House by the Medlar Tree (I Malavoglia) makes the complete English version of his masterpiece available once more. The story of the Malavoglia, a family of poor Sicilian fisherman, is Verga's moving rendering of the theme of mankind's struggle for self-betterment, the dignity of the struggle in the face of poverty and hardship, and the tragedy that the struggle inevitably incurs.D. H. Lawrence described Vega's work as "Homeric." Rayond Rosenthal's translation of I Malavoglia is the only complete version of this novel in English and conveys Vega's lyrical realism and the flavor of Sicialian village life superbly.The book is introduced by Giovanni Ceccheti, whose own translations of Verga, Mastro-don Gesualdo and The She-Wolf and Other Stories, are also available from California.

Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) is the most important of the Italian Realist School of novelists. This new edition of The House by the Medlar Tree (I Malavoglia) makes the complete English version of his masterpiece available once more. The story of the Malavoglia, a family of poor Sicilian fisherman, is Verga's moving rendering of the theme of mankind's struggle for self-betterment, the dignity of the struggle in the face of poverty and hardship, and the tragedy that the struggle inevitably incurs. D. H. Lawrence described Vega's work as "Homeric." Rayond Rosenthal's translation of I Malavoglia is the only complete version of this novel in English and conveys Vega's lyrical realism and the flavor of Sicialian village life superbly. The book is introduced by Giovanni Ceccheti, whose own translations of Verga, Mastro-don Gesualdo and The She-Wolf and Other Stories, are also available from California.

Cecchetti, Giovanni

Rosenthal, Raymond

Mastro -Don Gesualdo By Giovanni Verga A Novel. Translated by D.H. Lawrence. Verga, who died in 1922, is recognised as one of the greatest of Italian writers of fiction. 'It is a fine full tale, a fine full picture of life, with a bold beauty of its own which Mr. Lawrence must have relished greatly as he translated it' Observer

Mastro-Don Gesualdo: A Novel

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1979.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Verga, Giovanni. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Verga, Giovanni

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Verga, Giovanni. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories (Penguin Classics)

La Lupa (Modern Plays)

Sicilian Stories: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language Italian)

The House by the Medlar Tree

The she-wolf, and other stories

Mastro-Don Gesauldo: A Novel

The House by the Medlar Tree

The House by the Medlar Tree

Mastro-Don Gesualdo: A Novel

Mastro-Don Gesualdo: A Novel