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The 2013 Winners are In!



Daunt Books Children's Short Story Competition 2013

Italy

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  The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

  £7.99 Price: £7.19    Add to Basket

  Eco's masterpiece is a labyrinthine historical murder story in which a 14th century monk turns detective. A remarkable illumination of the Middle Ages as well as a cracking mystery.

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  That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana by Carlo Emilio Gadda

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  A sublimely unusual detective story that presents a scathing picture of fascist Italy, Gadda's much-loved classic is also a rich baroque social novel. Wonderful.

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  The Law by Roger Vailland

  £13.99 Price: £12.59    Add to Basket

  A scintillating, sensual novel of immoral behaviour and criminality played out in the taverns of southern Italy. Underrated French novelist won the 1957 Prix Goncourt for this, his finest achievement.

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  Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi

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  Levi's masterpiece, skilfully translated by Frances Frenaye, recounts his exile in the remote hills of Southern Italy, to which he was banished for his opposition to Mussolini. Capturing exquisitely the stillness and timelessness of peasant life, it is a work of great philosophical power as well as descriptive brilliance.

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  The Honoured Society: The Sicilian Mafia Observed by Norman Lewis

  £12.99 Price: £11.69    Add to Basket

  Anything with Lewis's name on the cover comes highly recommended by us, and this magnificent book is one of many reasons why. Darkly fascinated by his subject, the author renders every page horribly absorbing, be it describing how the US army returned the Mafia to power in 1944, or how an 80-year-old monk used his confessional box to transmit violent threats. Brilliant.

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  Italy's Sorrow by James Holland

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  A rare and truly fantastic acccount of the war in Italy between 1944 and 1945 and its terrible consequences on the innocent civilians. An assured historical description of a horrifying time.

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  The Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani

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  A true delight and one of our absolute favourites, Bassani tells of an aristocratic family who offer their luxurious estate as a safe haven for persecuted Jews as anti-semitic sentiment mounts. Reflecting on his experiences long after the war has ended, the narrator relates a poignant and life-affirming tale.

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  Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar

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  A novel of impeccable research and sustained empathy, narrated by Emperor Hadrian as he faces his looming demise. Taking the form of a long valedictory letter to his successor Marcus Aurelius, this is a profound and sensuous work, harnessing the weight of history in an enduring philosophical journey.

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  Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb

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  A 20th century classic from the Hungarian master. On honeymoon in Venice, Mihaly soon finds his marriage, and then his whole existence, spinning swiftly out of control. Accidentally abandoning his wife at a provincial railway station he embarks on an existential journey across Italy. Funny, atmospheric and deftly plotted, this is one of our favourites.

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  The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

  £6.99 Price: £6.29    Add to Basket

  One of our favourite series, Andrea Camilleri's tremendously entertaining Sicilian detective novels evoke all the colour, vigour and culinary brilliance of island life. In this first volume, Inspector Montalbano must investigate the suspicious death of an aspiring aristocratic politician.

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  The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampudesa

  £8.99 Price: £8.09    Add to Basket

  It is 1860 and the charismatic Prince of Salina - known as 'The Leopard' - must decide whether to resist Garibaldi's invasion of Sicily or accept with dignity the end of his reign. The prose here is a wonder, the characters a delight. L.P. Hartley called this utterly superb novel 'perhaps the greatest of the century' - we certainly would not disagree.