Three Timeless Short Stories by Grazia Deledda, Volume 4

This modest collection of three short stories, originally published in 1912, offers a rewarding introduction to Grazia Deledda’s style and themes, and serves as a perfect jumping-off point for anyone curious about this renowned voice in Italian—and world—literature.
Set in or near the Sardinian town of Nuoro where Deledda was born, these intriguing tales offer a glimpse into the lives of the people and world the author knew so intimately. This volume features three wildly different perspectives on one of her most recurrent themes: love and marriage. The first story presents one man’s unlikely path to marriage, but was it fate who led him there, or the work of a devious mind? A much darker side of marriage is presented with the second haunting story, filled with Gothic elements, focusing almost exclusively on two tortured characters in a single, dramatic setting. The deep characterization and rich plot so skillfully distilled into so few words is nothing less than remarkable, as is the breathtakingly dramatic, yet understated finale. The final tale in this collection introduces us to a marriage broker who seems to have met her own match in a mature woman who sees no need for a husband. But this time Deledda adds a dash of absurdity to the mix, delivering a wildly different approach to love and marriage.