Customer Reviews

Conversations in Sicily

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Conversations in Sicily is Vittorini's masterpiece. Each and every word has such great depth. Intellectuals will truly enjoy the read. It is impossible to do this novel justice in such a short description, yet I must say, the story is not as simple as it seems. The real story lies in what goes unsaid and what is truly meant in Vittorini's text. This is not simply a story of a journey, rather a commentary on Fascist Italy and the dangers of abandoning humanity. A truly great read that is applicable even today.

Had to read this for my Italian Lit class, and I'm glad I did. Otherwise I would've never known about the book. The historical background is really interesting...written in WWII-era fascist Italy, it is an anti-fascist novel and I'm surprised that it initially did get past the censors. Keep this in mind; the anti-fascist sentiment becomes clearer and clearer as you read: there's a reason Vittorini went to prison for this. The writing flows well in this translation and I find the author's use of repetition to be very interesting (the newspapers "blaring new massacres"). Also check out the importance of Silvestro's memory returning. If you like Hemmingway check out his foreward, which is one of the longest extended metaphors I've ever read and is really beautiful writing. Overall, this book is to be studied, but can be enjoyed casually nonetheless. Read this and enjoy it.

This book stands on its own thanks to its rare beauty, not because of its author's imprisonment.
With its lyrical tone, cristalline yet misty quality, it is a very good book to read, and an ideal introduction to the rich and varied italian literature.

Italio Calvino, the great Italian neo-realist author wrote that Vittorini's "Conversations in Sicily" was 'the book-Guernica'.

As a testament to time and place, giving the reader an appreciation of the anti-fascist sentiments of the author, this is a solid book. I'm sure it has its place in university courses on 20th Century Italian history. As a work of literature, I feel it is somewhat secondary.

Vittorini's prose is lively, it moves and swirls, it has a vibrant rhythm. It is like Opera with its use of verbal repetitions. The world is quite rustic and at times, a little absurd - especially when he describes the two men on the train. He calls them 'With Whiskers' and 'Without Whiskers'.

Sometimes I found Vittorini's repetitions a little too distracting. What I mean is that the character will say "There's no cheese like ours" several times on his journey back to Sicily. I will admit, I found it a little annoying. There is also repetition in conversation. Characters will say the same thing over and over again in conversation. I found myself just skipping over some pages because of this.

It is difficult being critical of a work translated from another language. In English, we reference the English language, the books we have read in English, whether written by English authors or translated into English. Maybe in Italian literature, this book has a revered place we can only understand if we studied Italian. As a work in English, I found it mildly entertaining. Some books are great because they are both artistic and timeless. They stand alone because they appeal to the universal in every epoch. If this book wasn't written by an anti-fascist writer in the 1930's, if it had been written last year or in the decade after fascism, I doubt it would make an impact. It is a good read. It is different, playful but it didn't strike me as being powerful within its own right.