Written between 1832 and 1833, the stories in this collection are brimming with the realism and the sense of place that characterized Giovanni Verga s most famous works. Where he focused on the idiosyncrasies of Sicilian life in stories like "Cavalleria Rusticana," however, Verga turns his gaze in these Milanese tales to the society of the Lombard capital, following the travails of the working class. Written in the present tense, the stories are imbued with a certain immediacy and offer a unique portrait of a very particular time in history. The 22 stories gathered in this book serve as a fantastic introduction to the work of one of Italy s most influential writers."