Joseph’s” donkey falls to his knees like the donkey that adored the Christ Child. Naturally, the donkey’s fate is meant to be read as an all-too-common Sicilian human destiny as well; Rosso Malpelo constantly compares himself to animals, and in another story from Novelle rusticane, “Gli orfani” (The Orphans), worn-out peasant women are specifically equated with domestic animals that have served their turn and are expendable. With regard to geography, we already have encountered Buccheri, Licodia, and the Piana di Catania.

“Pane nero.” This story was first published in Turin between the issues of February 25 and March 18, 1882 of La Gazzetta letterarìa, a weekly supplement of the daily Gazzetta piemontese. In May of 1882, in an expanded form, it was published separately by Giannotta in Catania. Finally it was placed as the ninth story in the 1883 Novelle rusticane.

The content is absorbing, but the narrative technique is unusual, and perhaps not entirely successful. Verga here attempts to follow the fortunes of an entire household, and, as it becomes progressively dispersed, the reader never knows which individual will be in the limelight next, or for how long. The effect is somewhat like that of the summary of a novel, a little bewildering though undoubtedly overpowering.

The name Nena is short for a name ending in -ena, such as Nazarena or Filomena. Cheli is short for the Sicilian version of Michele; while Brasi stands for (standard-Italian) Biagio, and Decu for Diego.

Geographically, we encounter Francofonte once more. The other place-names refer to individual farms or to other very small localities.

“Libertà.” This story was published in Rome in the March 12, 1882 issue of La Domenica letteraria, a weekly that existed for only three years. It then became the eleventh story in the 1883 Novelle rusticane.

This is the only Verga story that deals with a specific historical event (though he mentions neither the time nor the place). In July 1860, while Garibaldi’s armies of liberation were making their successful way eastward through Sicily, the lower-class villagers of Bronte, on the western slope of Mount Etna, roughly 15 miles northwest of Catania, were deluded into a “liberty” craze and massacred the rich and noble. Garibaldi’s general Nino (actually, Gerolamo) Bixio (1821–1873), who was no friend to anarchy and who wished no disturbance left in the rear as his army advanced, administered swift, hard justice.

In some ways this story summarizes many themes of the entire collection Novelle rusticane. A venal, corrupt police constable occurs in the story “Don Licciu Papa.” A greedy, exploitative parish priest occurs in “Il Reverendo.” Members of the gentry who are themselves impoverished (like Don Paolo in “Libertà”) occur in “I galantuomini.”

In his description of the uprising, Verga employs a nervous, telegraphic style (with many verbless sentences) that reflects the excitement of the events. With regard to names of characters: Neddu is short for Bastianeddu (Sebastianello), and Pippo for Giuseppe.

__________

1. The Carbonari of the early 19th century were a Mason-inspired secret society that combated the repressive governments of the Italy of their day. One of Verga’s grandfathers had been a Carbonaro.

2. For this Introduction, the translator used the Michelin folding map No. 432 (scale of 1/400,000; 1 cm : 4 km). Place names in Verga’s stories not on that map may be considered to be names of specific farms, local nicknames of geographical features, localities that would appear only on Ordnance Survey-type maps, street names, neighborhood names, and the like.

3. The Sunday literary supplement of Il Fanfulla. This highly regarded daily was originally published in Florence, but moved to Rome when that city became the new capital of Italy in 1871. Fanfulla was a devil-may-care 16th-century soldier who had already been made a character in 19th-century fiction.

4. The translator has been unable to locate a city of publication for this magazine, but its title differs by only one word, nuova (“new”), from that of the magazine in which “Nedda” was first published (see above). The inference is strong that this was substantially the same magazine, which had now become a monthly. (No reference known to the translator gives the cities of publication of the periodicals mentioned, and he was compelled to do tedious independent research.)

5. In a couple of the other stories, the translator has used “malaria” in English for the sake of concision, but only when the cause of the disease is not under discussion.

Sicilian Stories

Novelle siciliane

NEDDA

Il focolare domestico era per me una figura rettorica, buona per incorniciarvi gli affetti più miti e sereni, come il raggio di luna per baciare le chiome bionde; ma sorridevo allorquando sentivo dirmi che il fuoco del camino è quasi un amico. Sembravami in verità un amico troppo necessario, a volte uggioso e dispotico, che a poco a poco avrebbe voluto prendervi per le mani, o per i piedi, e tirarvi dentro il suo antro affumicato per baciarvi alla maniera di Giuda. Non conoscevo il passatempo di stuzzicare la legna, né la voluttà di sentirsi inondare dal riverbero della fiamma; non comprendevo il linguaggio del cepperello che scoppietta dispettoso, o brontola fiammeggiando; non avevo l’occhio assuefatto ai bizzarri disegni delle scintille correnti come lucciole sui tizzoni anneriti, alle fantastiche figure che assume la legna carbonizzandosi, alle mille gradazioni di chiaroscuro della fiamma azzurra e rossa che lambisce quasi timida, accarezza graziosamente, per divampare con sfacciata petulanza. Quando mi fui iniziato ai misteri delle molle e del soffietto, mi innamorai con trasporto della voluttuosa pigrizia del caminetto. Io lascio il mio corpo su quella poltroncina, accanto al fuoco, come vi lascerei un abito, abbandonando alla fiamma la cura di far circolare più caldo il mio sangue e di far battere più rapido il mio cuore; e incaricando le faville fuggenti, che folleggiano come farfalle innamorate, di farmi tenere gli occhi aperti, e di far errare capricciosamente del pari i miei pensieri. Cotesto spettacolo del proprio pensiero che svolazza vagabondo senza di voi, che vi lascia per correre lontano, e per gettarvi a vostra insaputa come dei soffi, di dolce e d’amaro in cuore, ha attrattive indefinibili. Col sigaro semispento, cogli occhi socchiusi, le molle fuggendovi dalle dita allentate, vedete l’altra parte di voi andar lontano, percorrere vertiginose distanze: vi par di sentirvi passar per i nervi correnti di atmosfere sconosciute, provate, sorridendo, l’effetto di mille sensazioni che farebbero incanutire i vostri capelli e solcherebbero di rughe la vostra fronte, senza muovere un dito, o fare un passo.

NEDDA

For me the household hearth was a figure of speech, a suitable framework for the gentlest, calmest emotions, just as a moonbeam is a proper light for enhancing blonde tresses; but I used to smile whenever I was told that firelight is virtually a friend. To tell the truth, it seemed to me like a friend who is too compulsory, at times tiresome and despotic, one who’d gradually want to take you by the hands or feet and pull you into his smoky cave to give you a Judas kiss.