Short stories
Valentino
Natalia Ginzburg · 1957
Synopsis
Valentino is studying medicine and his family sacrifices itself for him: his father already sees him as head of department at the hospital, his mother sees him with a splendid wife. His sister Caterina, who narrates, alone sees him as he is, lazy, spoiled and pleased with himself. One day he announces his engagement, and the woman he brings home, Maddalena, is ugly, older than he is and very rich. The volume brings together this story and two other texts.
Context
The volume appeared from Einaudi in 1957. It brings together three texts: “Valentino”, a second story of the same year, “Sagittario”, and “La madre”, which is shorter and dated from 1948. The story of Valentino is told by his younger sister, who decides nothing and sees everything. In French, the book appeared from Denoël under its Italian title, followed by “Au Sagittaire”; in English, Avril Bardoni translated it in 1987, and her translation was reissued in 2020 by New York Review Books, then on its own in 2023 under the title “Valentino”.
Who it is for
Three short texts gathered in one volume; the first is told by the main character's sister.
Prizes and reception
According to the online magazine Vitamine vaganti, the volume won the Viareggio Prize in 1957.
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