Flowers of Love

You can’t help but fall in love with Italy. You can’t help but fall in love with Italy. Flowers of love grow everywhere here, blooming under the gentle rays of the southern sun and filling the air with intoxicating aromas of passion. But in the same flowerbeds, burning nettles of jealousy, thorns of deceit, poisonous ivy of betrayal, weeds of revenge and hatred with leaves sharp as a dagger’s blade often sprout… Italian literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was considered one of the most progressive in Europe. Just think: among the writers in this collection there are two Nobel Prize laureates (Deledda and Pirandello) and four nominees (Bracco, Negri, Serao, and Fogazzaro). The others are no worse either—in their skill at twisting the plot, describing their characters’ feelings and inner turmoil, and creating a special mood that enchants readers from the very first lines.