This week I've been perusing The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories edited by the author Jhumpa Lahiri. These 40 stories traverse the Italian "raconti" tradition from the past 100 years or so ranging from the surrealists of the 1920s to contemporary works that reference 9/11.
In addition to the delightful collection of stories, the book includes an insightful and interesting forward by Lahiri about the process of translation and how she "discovered" some of the lesser known authors and their works.
Some of my favorites from the collection include "The Siren", "Melancholy", and "The Lady". One of the great things about reading an anthology is the range of writing styles— if I didn't enjoy a story after a few pages, I didn't feel bad about skipping to the next one. I enjoyed some authors so much that I've already requested some of their other works here at the library!
I would definitely recommend this collection to anyone that was looking to shake up their reading habits. You will certainly come across at least a few authors whose stories you enjoy from this excellent anthology of 40 short stories.
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