Ignazio Silone : beyond the tragic vision / Maria Nicolai Paynter.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Throughout his life, the internationally known novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Ignazio Silone (1900-1978) struggled indomitably for social justice. In this book, Maria Nicolai Paynter discusses the many controversial issues surrounding Silone and his writing, analysing in detail his intellectual and political convictions and assesses the artistic achievement and stylistic development in his works. Paynter argues that a profound authenticity is at the core of Silone's writing and that his tragic vision emanates from a concepte of heroism based not on pride and self-serving defiance but rather on moral courage and integrity. Northrop Frye's archetypal criticism and his concept of ironic myth provide the theoretical framework through which Paynter guides the reader to an understanding of Silone's particular brand of realism and his unique message.

Ignazio Silone: Beyond the Tragic Visionis a new, expanded version in English of an earlier Italian-language book which won the Premio Internazionale Letterario Ignazio Silone. It is the first comprehensive book in English on Silone's life, his writings, and their critical reception.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Unjustly neglected since his death in 1978, even in Italy, the socialist novelist, short-story writer, and journalist Ignazio Silone is currently the object of renewed critical interest on both sides of the Atlantic. This first comprehensive English-language study of his works should help to advance the process of rediscovery. Paynter (Hunter College, CUNY) offers a brief biographical sketch (though--perhaps regrettably--avoiding any extensive engagement with the recent headline-making scandals involving allegations that Silone was a Fascist informer), followed by detailed examination of his entire literary output. The works are grouped by genre (autobiographical writings and essays, short stories, "the novels of exile," "the post-exile novels," and plays), and the analysis is heavily indebted to the theories of Northrop Frye. An interesting survey of Silone's critical reception since 1933 concludes the volume. Paynter sometimes seems too closely wedded to her chosen analytical scheme, and her writing tends toward the pedestrian, but English-speaking readers will find this a useful introduction to an important 20th-century Italian writer. For libraries collecting European literature in translation for the use of upper-division undergraduates through faculty. S. Botterill; University of California, Berkeley