Roberto Saviano

Valeria Parrella

Piero Colaprico

Simona Vinci

Carlo Lucarelli

These stories are linked by common themes of belonging, dislocation and identity, and together they take the pulse of a country in turmoil. In 'The Opposite of Death' Roberto Saviano writes about a town in southern Italy haunted by the war in Afghanistan, where one by one its sons are dying. Carlo Lucarelli ('Ferengi') explores the colonial war in Eritrea through the eyes of a maid working for a sick man who begs her to end his suffering. Piero Colaprico's 'Grade C' is a breathless Milanese crime thriller in miniature, while Valeria Parrella's 'The Prize', set during World War II, reminds us that revenge is a dish best served cold. Contains stories by Roberto Saviano, Carlo Lucarelli, Valeria Parrella, Piero Colaprico, Wu Ming, and Simona Vinci.

Six Italian Stories

Outsiders

Trilogia della città

La trilogia della città

Pietro Valpreda

Quattro gocce di acqua piovana

In Roberto Saviano's The Opposite of Death, a town in southern Italy is haunted by the war in Afghanistan, where one by one its sons are dying. In Ferengi, Carlo Lucarelli explores the Italian settlement of Eritrea a century ago, when the actions of a maid became pivotal to the fate of an exploitative colonial family. Valeria Parrella's The Prize, set in the Italian countryside during the Second World War, reminds us that revenge is a dish best served cold, while Piero Colaprico's Stairway C is a breathless Milanese crime novel in miniature. Grassroots writers' collective Wu Ming show how an Italian cheese-maker can become a hero in American Parmesan, and in Another Kind of Solitude, Simona Vinci suggests that it is only when we are on the outside, or alone, that we find true freedom.

Piero Colaprico

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