The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories

A landmark collection of stories–nearly half appearing in English for the first time–selected and introduced by Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, who now lives in Italy and reads exclusively in Italian

A Penguin Classics Hardcover

When Jhumpa Lahiri decided to read exclusively in Italian, a language she had studied for many years, her life as a reader–and writer–took a surprising turn. Complete immersion in this rich literary heritage brought fresh insight and
unexpected freedom.

This collection brings together forty writers who have shaped her love of the Italian language and profound appreciation for its literature. More than half of the stories featured in this volume have been translated into English for the first time, and the wide-ranging selection includes well-known authors such as Italo Calvino, Elsa Morante, and Luigi Pirandello alongside many captivating rediscoveries.

Poets, journalists, visual artists, musicians, editors, critics, teachers, scientists, politicians, translators: the writers that inhabit these pages represent a dynamic cross-section of Italian society. Together they reflect more than a hundred years of Italy’s vibrant and diverse short-story tradition, their powerful voices resonating through regional landscapes, private passions, and the dramatic political events of the twentieth century.

For more than seventy-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 2,000 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.