Italian Tales : An Anthology of Contemporary Italian Fiction

A selection of contemporary Italian fiction in English for readers who wish to explore Italy’s rich literary landscape​

This anthology serves as a literary map to guide readers through the varied geography of contemporary Italian fiction. Massimo Riva has gathered English-language translations of short stories and excerpts from novels that were originally published in Italian between 1975 and 2001. As an expression of a communal contemporary condition, these narratives suggest a new sensibility and a new way of seeing, exploring, and inhabiting the world, in writing. Riva provides a comprehensive introduction to Italian literary trends of the past twenty years. Each selection is preceded by a short introduction and biography of the writer. For English-language readers who are familiar with the work of Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco, this collection presents an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the work of other important contemporary Italian writers of fiction.

Massimo Riva is professor of Italian studies at Brown University. He is the author of Saturno e le Grazie, Malinconie del Moderno, and numerous essays on modern and contemporary Italian literature, and is a leader in the application of digital technologies to the study and teaching of literature.