A masterful and gripping classic of European literature, this superb collection of short fiction and reportage is set in Italy's perhaps most vibrant and turbulent metropolis—Naples—in the immediate aftermath of World War II. These writings helped inspire Elena Ferrante's best-selling novels and she has expressed deep admiration for the author of this volume. Anna Maria Ortese's work was also championed by Italo Calvino, who was her Italian editor.

The powerful portrait of Naples high and low and its documentation of often-trying conditions comprises a stunning literary companion to some of the great neo-realist films of the era by directors such as Vittorio de Sica and Roberto Rossellini. This classic is exquisitely rendered in English by Ann Goldstein and Jenny McPhee, two of the leading translators working from Italian today. Included in the collection is "A Pair of Eyeglasses," one of the most widely praised Italian short stories of the twentieth century.