The House by the Medlar Tree

Tells the story of the Malavoglia, a family of poor Sicilian fisherman. This book renders the theme of mankind's struggle for self-betterment, the dignity of the struggle in the face of poverty and hardship, and the tragedy that the struggle inevitably incurs.

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Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) is the most important of the Italian Realist School of novelists. This new edition of "The House by the Medlar Tree" ("I Malavoglia") makes the complete English version of his masterpiece available once more. The story of the Malavoglia, a family of poor Sicilian fisherman, is Verga's moving rendering of the theme of mankind's struggle for self-betterment, the dignity of the struggle in the face of poverty and hardship, and the tragedy that the struggle inevitably incurs. D. H. Lawrence described Vega's work as "Homeric." Rayond Rosenthal's translation of "I Malavoglia" is the only complete version of this novel in English and conveys Vega's lyrical realism and the flavor of Sicialian village life superbly. The book is introduced by Giovanni Ceccheti, whose own translations of "Verga", "Mastro-don Gesualdo" and "The She-Wolf and Other Stories", are also available from California.