Conversations in Sicily now being published by New Directions in a newtranslation holds a unique place in the annals of Italian literature. Itstands as a modern... » 

Conversations in Sicily now being published by New Directions in a newtranslation holds a unique place in the annals of Italian literature. Itstands as a modern classic not only for being a tale well told but also as atrailblazer for its style which steered young Italian writers away from thethenprevailing cadenced and rarified prose towards the more muscular Americantradition.When Hemingway wrote in introduction for the American debut of ConversationsNew Directions 1949 he remarked I care very much about Vittorinisability to bring rain with him when he comes if the earth is dry and that iswhat you need. It was what the partisans and passive resisters needed in thoseWorld War II days and they found it in this book. Indeed many of those inhiding assumed the names of Vittorinis characters. In 1943 Vittorini wasjailed by the fascist police for this very novel which had circulated widelyeven before its 1941 publication.The novel is about a journey back to roots. A successful but troubledbusinessman learns that his father has deserted his mother leaving her on herown on the outskirts of a primitive Sicilian village. The narrator has not beenback to Sicily for years. On his journey he reconnects with his past andencountering the Sicilian countryside and the people with their robustcharacter and earthy ways his redoubtable mother in particular herediscovers himself and the basic values of life. «