The Wine-Dark Sea

By Leonardo Sciascia
Translated from the Italian by Avril Bardoni
Introduction by Albert Mobilio

Leonardo Sciascia was an outstanding and controversial presence in twentieth-century Italian literary and intellectual life. Writing about his native Sicily and its culture of secrecy and suspicion, Sciascia matched sympathy with skepticism, unflinching intelligence with a streetfighter's intransigent poise. Sciascia was particularly admired for his short stories, and The Wine-Dark Sea offers what he considered his best work in the genre: thirteen spare and trenchant miniatures that range in subject from village idiots to mafia dons, marital spats to American dreams. Here, in unforgettable form, Sciascia examines the contradictions—sometimes comic, sometimes deadly, and sometimes both—of Sicily's turbulent history and day-to-day life.

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Reviews

What is the mafia mentality? What is the mafia? What is Sicily? When it comes to the exploration of this particular hell, Leonardo Sciascia is the perfect Virgil.
— Gore Vidal

Probably the best introduction to [Sciascia's] work are the stories in The Wine Dark Sea.
— Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times

Also see:

To Each His Own By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Adrienne Foulke Introduction by W.S. Di Piero To Each His Own is one of the masterworks of the great Sicilian novelist Leonardo Sciascia—a gripping and unconventional detective story that is also an anatomy of a society founded on secrets, lies, collusion, and violence.

The Day of the Owl By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun and Anthony Oliver Introduction by George Scialabba This short, beautifully paced novel is a mesmerizing description of the Mafia at work.

Equal Danger By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Adrienne Foulke Introduction by Carlin Romano District Attorney Varga is shot dead. Then Judge Sanza is killed. Then Judge Azar. Are these random murders, or part of a conspiracy?

The Moro Affair By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Sacha Rabinovitch Introduction by Peter Robb The Moro Affair presents a chilling picture of how a secretive government and a ruthless terrorist faction help to keep each other in business.

Leonardo Sciascia Collection Get all five NYRB classics by Leonardo Sciascia.

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