Pirandello

1987 · 34037 — Brookline Massachusetts U.S.A.: Dante Univ of Amer Pr. New. 1987. Paperback. 0937832316 . FREE UPGRADE to Courier/Priority Shipping Upon Request - IN STOCK AND IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT - BRAND NEW FLAWLESS COPY NEVER OPENED -- 217 pages -- REVIEW: Publishers Weekly: "This volume gathers 20 stories by the late Nobel laureate written between 1896 and 1935 and for the most part appearing here for the first time in English. As the title declares all tell of suicide and permeating the collection from the earlier tightly plotted and realistic works to the later more experimental and stylized stories is Pirandello's trademark existentialism: the view that life is a game of chance played with dice that are loaded toward tragedy. Most powerful and moving are the stories from Pirandello's middle years such as ``The Trip'' 1910 in which he delves deeply into his characters successfully conveying the passions and fears assaulting the sickly sheltered Adriana Braggi as she leaves her Sicilian village. Others from this period stand out as well including ``By Himself'' 1913 in which Matteo Sinagra creates his own funeral procession and ``While the Heart Suffered'' 1914 written in a stream-of-consciousness style. Overall however the book is uneven in quality. Many stories written before 1913 are not wholly forceful nor probing and the final two from 1934 and '35 are vague and unsatisfying. An awkward translation compounds the tales' weaknesses. Moreover it is questionable whether publishing 20 stories about suicide in one volumea decision apparently made by contemporary editors not Pirandellois even desirable. The repetition and lack of suspense especially in the less graceful works is burdensome." -- with a bonus offer-- . Dante Univ of Amer Pr paperback