Evening descends upon the hills (stories from naples)

Classic short stories set in Naples in the 1940s and 50s that inspired Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels Il mare non bagna Napoli by Anna Maria Ortese was first published in 1953, and on March 13th, it will be released in English for the first time as Neapolitan Chronicles. This was another title that Ortese considered, which was chosen by the translators, Ann Goldstein and Jenny McPhee. I read both editions to compare, and I found the English translation to be fresh while maintaining the essence of the original Italian text. Neapolitan Chronicles is a collection of short stories set in Naples after World War Two. What makes these stories so enjoyable to read is that every scene is intensely vivid, written with such splendid attention to detail. It's an incredibly evocative reading experience. I’m very glad that I discovered this book. Now, I’ll be acquiring more of Ortese’s books in Italian because I adore her writing style. I highly recommend this book, especially if you loved Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels (Ortese was one of Ferrante's writing inspirations).