Alcina and Other Stories

Guido Gozzano

Translated by Brendan and Anna Connell

The Turin born Guido Gozzano was the first and finest representative of the Crepuscolari, the poets of the Twilight. Before his tragically early death from consumption at the age of thirty-five he produced two short volumes of verse, La via del rifugio and I colloqui, which quickly became renown for their quietly perfect evocations of nature, melancholy, tenderness and nostalgia.

But unknown to most English speakers Gozzano also wrote short stories, Contes Cruels influenced by Poe and Maupassant, and aesthetic prose nightmares, which display the same delicate crepuscular style and sense of tragic absurdism.

Within the pages of Alcina and Other Stories, the reader will find “The Real Face,” the bizarre fate of a promising young artist whose works grow too close to nature; “A Romantic Story,” a Gothic tragedy; and “The Soul of the Instrument,” a Symbolist fairy tale after the manner of Lorrain and Wilde; along with other morbid and fantastic pieces.

An exquisite item for those interested in Italian poets of the early twentieth century and the various literary movements which bloomed in that country in the years following the fin de siècle.

Note: Of the thirteen stories in the current volume, twelve previously appeared, in slightly different form, in Requiems & Nightmares (Hieroglyphic Press 2012). One of the stories, “After a Tragic Vow” is unique to the current volume.

About the Author
Guido Gozzano (1883-1916) was an Italian writer and poet, whose name is often associated with the post-decadent Crepuscolari movement. Though mostly remembered for his poetry, he also wrote numerous short stories and fables, a volume of travel writings, and a script for a film on the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Paperback, 180 pages
Release date: April 2, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1-94381-387-2
Price: US$16.00

Hardcover, 182 pages. Limited edition of 60 copies
Release date: April 2, 2019
Price: US$29.00