An enchanting story, in the unique voice of one of Italy's greatest contemporary writers.

"Starnone uses languages the way a great painter works with colour." -Jhumpa Lahiri

"One of Italy's most accomplished novelists." -The Guardian 

Imagine a child, a daydreamer, always gazing out of the window. His grandmother, busy in the kitchen, keeps an eye on him. The child stares at a balcony on the opposite building, watching the black-haired girl as she dances her reckless dance. For a love like this, a child can push himself to extreme feats. He can turn into explorer or cabin boy, cowboy or castaway; he can fight duels to the death, or even master an unfamiliar language. 

His grandmother is not articulate, but does not lack imagination, and her love for the boy is immeasurable. She tells him about the entrance to the underworld, engraving indelible images in her nephew's mind. 

An irresistible book, as sharp as the swords of fantasy hidden under the bed, as precious as a family jewel, in which the discovery of love and the discovery of death follow each other, marking the end of childhood.

Details

ISBN13: 9781787705333
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 144
Edition:
Publication Date: 28 Jan 2025
Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 21(H)x13.5(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Domenico Starnone was born in Naples and lives in Rome. He is the author of thirteen works of fiction, including First Execution(Europa, 2009), Ties (Europa, 2017) a Sunday Times Best Book of the Year, Trick (Europa, 2018), a Finalist for the 2018 National Book Award and the 2019 PEN Translation Prize, Trust (Europa, 2021), and The House on Via Gemito (Europa, 2023), winner of Italy's most prestigious literary prize, the Strega. It was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024.

Oonagh Stransky has been a translator of Italian literature for over 20 years. Some of the writers whose work she has brought into English include Pier Paolo Pasolini, Carlo Lucarelli, Giuseppe Pontiggia, and Roberto Saviano. Stransky started studying Italian at Middlebury Language Schools in 1986, got her BA in Comparative Literature from Mills College and UC Berkeley in 1989, and her MA in Italian from Columbia University in 2002. She currently lives in Italy.

Reviews

'Domenico Starnone's gift to shuffle and deal the cards of a story gets ever more impressive.' - La Stampa

'Faultless... The reflection on love, already undertaken in Ties, Trick and Trust, is resumed and refined.' - Reading in Translation

'It's impossible not to be struck by Starnone's power over words.' - Critica Letteraria