3 Italian books that you should read – episode 2

27.10.2021
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3 Italian books that you should read – episode 2

3 Italian books that you should read – episode 2 is part of a series. If you want to read the previous articles, you can check them down below:

 

1. The Strange Island of Stranalandia

 

island

 

Stranalandia is one of  the many books of Stefano Benni, that published it in 1984.

Similarly to his other works it’s a satyrical book. In brief, when two scientists get stranded on an island because of the sinking of their ship, they start documenting the strange animals and the culture of an indigenous population that live in it.

One of the best books to enjoy discovering a new world.

 

2. Books about losing your chances: Il fu Mattia Pascal

 

graves

Pirandello initially published Il fu Mattia Pascal in 1904 in episodes for a journal. Later that year it was released as a volume.

After being involved in an entanglement Mattia Pascal is forced to marry a woman that doesn’t love him. Afterwards his enfant daughters and his mother pass away, leaving him alone with his spouse and her mother.

At this point Mattia decides to leave his family and his job as librarian to escape to America, in order to start a new life. He will never get there but his adventures will make him rich and once again loved.

In the end, a believed dead Mattia goes back to his small town. His wife married again and he’s got a grave in the cemetery that he visits often. His choices and his frequent running away brought him back to the library where he used to work.

 

3. Books about the dead: Il Giorno del Giudizio

 

mountain village

 

Salvatore Satta never released Il Giorno del Giudizio. In fact it was published posthumous in 1977.

In the book a narrator voice, that we could identify as Satta himself, narrates the story of Nuoro, a Sardinian city in the mountains, while talking about the people buried in its cemetery.

The stories about the dead mingle with those of the men and women that live in the small town, and give us a picture of this comunity.

We could consider this book “the italian Spoon River”.

 

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AUTHOR INFO
Nicola Soro
Bachelor in Humanities and 1st level Master's degree in HR. Books calm down my soul.
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