The Little Virtues: EssaysIn this collection of her finest and best-known short essays, Natalia Ginzburg explores both the mundane details and inescapable catastrophes of personal life with the grace and wit that have assured her rightful place in the pantheon of classic mid-century authors. Whether she writes of the loss of a friend, Cesare Pavese; or what is inexpugnable of World War II; or the Abruzzi, where she and her first husband lived in forced residence under Fascist rule; or the importance of silence in our society; or her vocation as a writer; or even a pair of worn-out shoes, Ginzburg brings to her reflections the wisdom of a survivor and the spare, wry, and poetically resonant style her readers have come to recognize. "A glowing light of modern Italian literature . . . Ginzburg's magic is the utter simplicity of her prose, suddenly illuminated by one word that makes a lightning streak of a plain phrase. . . . As direct and clean as if it were carved in stone, it yet speaks thoughts of the heart.' — The New York Times Book Review |
Contents
Winter in the Abruzzi | |
WornOut Shoes | |
Eulogy and Lament | |
La Maison Volpé | |
He and I | |
The Son of | |
Silence | |
Human Relationships | |
The Little Virtues | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Abruzzi adult afraid Arcade Publishing Babycham beautiful become beneath the sky boring cafés characters child childhood cinema clothes contempt countryside Cynthia Rylant Dick Davis doesn’t dress earth English essays everything exist eyes face fear feel felt Ginzburg Giulio Einaudi editore give Gozzano green grey hair happens happy husband imagination kind little by little little virtues live London longer look Maison Volpé melancholy moneybox mother mysterious Natalia Ginzburg neighbour never obscene words old raincoat ourselves parents Pelléas et Mélisande perhaps phrases poems poor Portobello Road realize relationships remember restaurants right person Robert Donat secret seems silence smile someone sometimes spend stay story street suddenly suffer Sulmona tagliatelle talk tell things thought unhappiness vocation voice walk wear William Holden woman worn-out shoes write wrote