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A ¿wondrous work from the early career of one of the world's greatest writers¿ (Kirkus Reviews), masterfully translated from Italian into English by Ann Goldstein Intricate interior lives are brilliantly explored in these short stories, now presented in one definitive collection as the author intended them. In Difficult Loves, Italy's master storyteller weaves tales in which cherished deceptions and illusions of love--including self-love--are swept away in magical instants of recognition. A soldier is reduced to quivering fear by the presence of a full-figured woman in his train compartment; a young clerk leaves a lady's bed at dawn; a young woman is isolated from bathers on a beach by the loss of her bikini bottom. Each of them discovers hidden truths beneath the surface of everyday life. This edition also include two stories translated into English for the first time, translated by Ann Goldstein (The Neopolitan Quartet, Elena Ferrante).
About the author
ITALO CALVINO (1923–1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth century’s greatest storytellers. Born in Cuba, he was raised in San Remo, Italy, and later lived in Turin, Paris, Rome, and elsewhere. Among his many works are Invisible Cities, If on a winter’s night a traveler, The Baron in the Trees, and other novels, as well as numerous collections of fiction, folktales, criticism, and essays. His works have been translated into dozens of languages.
Summary
"The quirkiness and the grace of the writing, the originality of the imagination at work, the incandescence of vision, make this collection well worth reading." —Margaret Atwood
A dazzling early story collection from Italo Calvino about love and the difficulty of communication
In Difficult Loves, Italy’s master storyteller weaves tales in which cherished deceptions and illusions of love—including self-love—are swept away in magical instants of recognition. A soldier is reduced to quivering fear by the presence of a full-figured woman in his train compartment; a young clerk leaves a lady’s bed at dawn; a young woman is isolated from bathers on a beach by the loss of her bikini bottom. Each of them discovers hidden truths beneath the surface of everyday life. Translated by the acclaimed Ann Goldstein (translator of Elena Ferrante's The Neapolitan Quartet) this collection displays Calvino at the start of his prolific career, the groundwork for the
