The Wine-Dark Sea

One of Sciascia’s best-known works, a collection of short stories about Sicily—a wide variety of subjects and moods, but all betraying a deep love for Sicily and its people(s). A terrific introduction, I think, to an author whose work I look forward to reading more of.

I bought this collection of Sciascia stories after thoroughly enjoying his philosophical crime novellas last year, and several of the stories do reveal his usual cynical, understated perception and wit. However, with a few exceptions, such as the "The Ransom," "Giufà," "Demotion," and "End-Game" (my favorite), they did not hold up to Sciascia's more extended efforts. Like his novellas, they take place in Sicily and focus on the intersection of family, history, the church and the Mafia; unlike them, they span a wider historical time span. The culture of Sicily definitely comes through in these stories, but I think Sciascia generally needs more space than a limited number of pages to fully develop his themes.

This is such an interesting collection of short stories, and my first introduction to the Sicilian author, Leonardo Sciascia. The stories are distinctly different in plot, yet there were common threads throughout. They abound with passions, violence, revenge, betrayal, and family love and loyalty. I felt as though I was peeking into a culture which is at once a bit intimidating and deeply intriguing. Clearly, Sciascia is an erudite, articulate writer which brings a richness and depth to his stories that is icing on the cake!

The first half of this book of stories I found flat and not up to Sciascia's usual rich level of storytelling. But then halfway through, starting with the tale "Demotion," I felt the stories begin to deepen. By the time I got to "End Game," p. 121, I was without question back in the master's hands. This seems to me an anomaly in Sciascia's otherwise unusually consistent oeuvre. I'd like to know if the translation is at fault. I don't have a word of Italian, but a couple examples of English phrasing I found laughably bad. I would ask that any GR reader who has Italian to render a verdict on this translation. I'd really like to know what you think. So this is an uneven collection, for whatever the reason, recommended with reservations. show more However, I do not hesitate to recommend Sciascia's other collections in English. There are two that are fabulous. They are Open Doors, available in US as a Vintage print-on-demand book, and Sicilian Uncles, on Granta Books, a British imprint and not currently in print. Of the novels, my two favorites are To Each His Own and Equal Danger. See my reviews. show less

Oh, I could easily give this five stars. I'd say it's the most readily accessible of his books that I've read thus far. Short stories, no real room to get Off Topic, these are tight and 'enjoyable', a word that doesn't seem suitable for his books in general.

If you are thinking of trying this celebrated Italian author, this really does make sense as the way to start. Dip your toes....into the water of The Wine-Dark Sea.

Oh, I could easily give this five stars. I'd say it's the most readily accessible of his books that I've read thus far. Short stories, no real room to get Off Topic, these are tight and 'enjoyable', a word that doesn't seem suitable for his books in general.

If you are thinking of trying this celebrated Italian author, this really does make sense as the way to start. Dip your toes....into the water of The Wine-Dark Sea.

Oh, I could easily give this five stars. I'd say it's the most readily accessible of his books that I've read thus far. Short stories, no real room to get Off Topic, these are tight and 'enjoyable', a word that doesn't seem suitable for his books in general.

If you are thinking of trying this celebrated Italian author, this really does make sense as the way to start. Dip your toes....into the water of The Wine-Dark Sea.