This is an historical novel that is considered by many to be the best ever written by a Sicilian author. It is set in Sicily in 1860 and onward into the twentieth century. The story revolves around one particular family whose patriarch is a prince. The author used his own family history as a foundation. The author died before the work was accepted for publication, but the story is now widely celebrated.

    The book tells the tale of revolution and evolution in a conservative, "underdeveloped" society in Sicily. The protagonist, Prince Salina, is watching and, to some degree, participating in the unification of 'Italy' and the subsuming of his Sicily into the previously nonexistent nation of 'Italy' in the 1860s. The Prince is very much a modern man (a noted astronomer in his spare time) and yet very much a member of his class, and loyal to the traditions of his island. The 'unification of Italy' strongly puts those traditions to test and forces his family to bend as they stay true to what they believe.

An anthropologist's study of life and customs in a small village in central Sicily in the early 1900's.


 

On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal is the ambivalent love story of an intelligent, complex, and self-reflective woman. The book recounts the events of 1983, the year Simeti turned 42. Her narrative alternates between Palermo, where her children attend school and her husband Toninno is a professor of agricultural economy, and Bosco, in eastern Sicily, where she shoulders demanding responsibilities on the working farm that has belonged to her husband's family for three generations.

An academic manqué, Simeti researches and ruminates on the mythological underpinnings of the many holidays and festivals that punctuate the rhythm of Sicilian life. She focuses particularly on the Greek goddesses Persephone and Demeter, who held Sicily under their protection. She eventually discovers a correlation between her own situation and the story of Persephone, who alternately inhabited the worlds of light and darkness.
 

An authoritative two-volume genealogy of the families of Vallelunga Pratameno in Caltanissetta province, Sicily.  Transcribed from church sacramental records dating from the early 1700's and civil records of birth, marriage and death through the twentieth century, it gives origins of families and detailed documentation of each 'ramo' or branch.  In Italian.

 

    In 1986, love drew Theresa Maggio to Favignana, an island just off the coast of Sicily. There the young journalist encountered the mysterious world of the tonnara-the ritual trapping and killing of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea-and the mattanza, the stunning, bloody climax of the fishing season when the huge fish are wrestled from the sea and killed. Mattanza is the riveting story of Maggio's annual return to witness this timeless struggle between man and the sea. An alluring blend of memoir, history, and travelogue, Mattanza documents an insular and exotic world where the tonnara continues according to ancient ritual even as modern fishing methods edge it towards extinction.
 

    Maggio opens her tale with a memory of sitting under her grandparents' grape arbor in Carldstadt, New Jersey, wondering if their memories of Sicily were hard-wired into her consciousness. These essays, written over many visits, illuminate tiny Sicilian towns with glorious names: Polizzi Generosa (Martin Scorsese's father was born there); Catania, where men celebrate the feast of Sant'Agata, who was martyred by having her breasts cut off; Sperlinga, where generations have lived in apartments cut in caves that Maggio compares to hobbit-holes. Maggio writes pristine prose unsullied by prettiness or sentimentality.
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She finds a number of women unencumbered by marriage--like the twin pharmacists, Antonietta and Rosaria--who accompany her, stay with her, or simply allow her to view their lives. She writes of the clothed, dessicated corpses in a crypt in Palermo; of watching Etna's lava flow engulf a flowering pear tree in Zafferana Etnea; and of Santa Margherita, her grandparents' town, destroyed in an earthquake in 1968. She adores Sicily, taking as her metaphor the living stone from which the island takes its building material, the taste of its water, the color of its contours. 

Sicily was the jewel of the Mediterranean, and Sicilians were the first civilized people of the Western World-here is their rich and diverse history in crisp prose and lively illustration. This concise history relates how Sicily rose to become the first independent, civilized nation of greater Italy, as well as home to many of the world's most distinguished philosophers, mathematicians, scientists, and artists. The narrative subsequently recounts the region's millennium-long decline at the hands of foreign invaders, its hard-won battle for freedom in 1860 under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi, and its current status as a center for art and tourism.

 

Features a concise Sicilian grammar and a bilingual dictionary with pronunciation guide. The comprehensive phrasebook offers guidance for situations including dining out, accommodations, and obtaining medical care. It also contains complete phonetic spellings. An introduction to Sicily's history, guide to major cities and attractions, and sampling of the island's cuisine complete this valuable reference. Includes over 3,400 dictionary entries and helpful phrases for the traveler, student or business person.
 

Excursion to Tindari is a 2000 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2005 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the fifth novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series, and, upon publication in English, was shortlisted for the CWA Duncan Lawrie International Dagger for best translated crime novel of the year.

Tourists, armchair travelers, and historians will all delight in this fluid narrative that can be read straight through, dipped into over time, or used as a reference guide to each period in Sicily’s fascinating tale. Emigration of people from Sicily often overshadows the importance of the people who immigrated to the island through the centuries.
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These have included several who became Sicily’s rulers, along with Jews, Ligurians, and Albanians. Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, Hohenstaufens, Spaniards, Bourbons, the Savoy Kingdom of Italy and the modern era have all held sway, and left lasting influences on the island’s culture and architecture.
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Sicily’s character has also been determined by what passed it by: events that affected Europe generally, namely the Crusades and Columbus’s discovery of the Americas, remarkably had little influence on Italy’s most famous island. Maps, biographical notes, suggestions for further reading, a glossary, pronunciation keys, and much more make this unique book as essential as it is enjoyable.
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For fifty years, at Casa Cuseni in the small Sicilian town of Taormina, Daphne Phelps has extended her English charm and warm hospitality to seasoned travelers and professional escapists as well as to writers and artists like Tennessee Williams, Bertrand Russell, Henry Faulkner, and Roald Dahl. This memoir tells their story, and hers.

It begins in 1947 when, thirty-four years old and war-weary, a modest Englishwoman arrived in Taormina with little Italian, less money, and a plan to sell the property she had unexpectedly inherited. Instead, she fell in love, not just with the airy quarters of the golden stone house on a hillside but also with a community and its way of life. To save Casa Cuseni from certain demolition, Daphne converted her enchanting inheritance into the wondrous pensione that for nearly half a century she has run with the blessing of every Taorminan from the local silk-shirted godfather, Don Ciccio, to Concetta Genio, her steadfast cook, housekeeper, and friend. 

"A loving portrait ... of a vanishing way of life."
-- New York Times Book Review
 

Il sonaglio traces the coming of age of a Sicilian boy, from his apprenticeship on his father's little fishing boat, and his avoidance of a life of misery as a sulfur mine 'carusu', to his adventures as a novice goatherd in the lonely mountain hinterlands.

“At villa Donnafugata, long ago is never very far away,” writes bestselling author Marlena de Blasi of the magnificent if somewhat ruined castle in the mountains of Sicily that she finds, accidentally, one summer while traveling with her husband, Fernando. There de Blasi is befriended by Tosca, the patroness of the villa, an elegant and beautiful woman-of-a-certain-age who recounts her lifelong love story with the last prince of Sicily descended from the French nobles of Anjou.

The present-day narrative finds Tosca sharing her considerable inherited wealth with a harmonious society composed of many of the women–now widowed–who once worked the prince’s land alongside their husbands. How the Sicilian widows go about their tasks, care for one another, and celebrate the rituals of a humble, well-lived life is the heart of this book.
 

Sicily is the Mediterranean's largest and most mysterious island. Its people, for three thousand years under the thumb of one invader after another, hold tightly onto a culture so unique that they remain emotionally and culturally distinct, viewing themselves first as Sicilians, not Italians. Many of these islanders, carrying considerable DNA from Arab and Muslim ancestors who ruled for 250 years and integrated vast numbers of settlers from the continent just ninety miles to the south, say proudly that Sicily is located north of Africa, not south of Italy.
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Seeking Sicily explores what lies behind the soul of the island's inhabitants. It touches on history, archaeology, food, the Mafia, and politics and looks to nineteenth- and twentieth-century Sicilian authors to plumb the islanders' so-called Sicilitudine, best exemplified by the writings of one of Sicily's greatest writers, Leonardo Sciascia. Seeking Sicily also looks to contemporary Sicilians who have never shaken off the influences of their forbearers, who believed in the ancient gods and goddesses.
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"Keahey's exploration of this misunderstood island is a much-needed look at a much-maligned land."―Paul Paolicelli, author of Under the Southern Sun
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    This novella is historical fiction set in Racalmuto, Sicily in the late nineteenth century. It deals with a heartbreaking aspect of parenting: the practice of of leaving unwanted children in a revolving door or wheel of a church, hospital or foundling home, so that the children would be cared for or placed for adoption. In some towns, the receiver of foundlings was called 'la ruotaia' (the lady of the wheel).  
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      Even in hard times, its characters manage to find romance.  The book is based on documented facts, and has been critically compared to works of Giovanni Verga and Luigi Capuana, two 'verismo' authors of Sicilian literature & fiction. 
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"Reading The Lady of the Wheel, I was reminded of the realistic works of Sicilian writer Giovanni Verga . . .  a compelling narrative about the atrocious living conditions that forced so many Sicilians to migrate to other parts of the world. . . an important contribution to the Italian American narrative in the U.S." - Dr. Kenneth Scambray, in the newspaper L'Italo-Americano (October 2013)
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    Drawing on history and family legend, Anthony Di Renzo presents a tale of progress and reaction, irony and paradox, in which the splendors of Caserta must yield to the wonders of the Crystal Palace. Both intimate and sweeping, Trinàcria questions the price of pride and the cost of prosperity and contrasts illusions of grandeur and dreams of happiness with the pitiless truth that kills all hope and desire. As readers will learn, this is the fatal spell of Sicily--an island of loss and change--where death alone is eternal.

"Di Renzo's writing is vivid and brimful of sardonic humor. He specializes in crisp evocations of outdoor scenes, such as the bustling streets of Naples or the unforgettably cruel festival of the Cuccagna; but the main attraction is the marchesa herself, a force of nature as powerful and inexorable as the Sicilian sun in July."
Mary Desmond Pinkowish & Peter Dipiro, authors of Sprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World
 

This is the first comprehensive, interactive grammar of Sicilian designed as a College textbook, as well as a self teaching tool. The volume is beautifully illustrated and contains well written and informative readings on Sicilian culture. It is accompanied by a DVD containing the audio for all the readings, answers to the extensive exercises and an interactive guide to Sicilian pronunciation.

 

A tale about Calogero Montante (the fourth cousin of author Angelo F. Coniglio).  "Calò" Montante founded the world-famous bicycle factory Cicli Montante in his village of birth, Serradifalco, and resisted efforts by the Mafia to influence his life's work.

In Italian, with a preface by author Andrea Camilleri.

 

Revised and extensively updated, Blue Guide Sicily offers an in-depth history of this historically rich destination. Ellen Grady gives a comprehensive overview of the island―from detailed analyses of cities, sights and works of art to carefully chosen suggestions of where and what to eat and where to stay. The guide is strong on history, art, archaeology, architecture, landscape, conservation and wildlife. Full-color maps, two-tone plans and black-and-white photographs. 10 color maps, 40 B&W Photographs and two-tone plans.

 

.(Click on the image of the front cover for purchase information, where available.)

"A gritty novella that pulses with rhythm, texture, and a story that locks the reader to its pages, The Hunger Saint is the riveting tale of young Ntoni, who is forced to labor in Sicily's sulfur mines to support his family.  Few books treat the subject of manual labor with such fluid realism and descriptive beauty. The Hunger Saint marks the debut of a distinctive and talented new voice in North American fiction."
  --Tony Ardizzone, author of The Whale Chaser
 

A fiery explosion in the sulfur mine kills his father, leaving 5 year old Aspanu head of his family. His mother struggles as she is faced with signing his life away as a carusu, an indentured servant in the 100+ degree mines, to pay off their debt.

When the miners see no real change in their working conditions or safety, and are fed up with unfair labor practices, they hold clandestine meetings to stage a massive riot in the square. Civil unrest comes to a head . Dangerous backlash looms when the mine owners discover the plot.
 

A grammar of the Sicilian Language together with an assessment of its place within the languages derived from Latin. The author's thesis is that Sicilian was the first language to develop from Latin. It contains also a list of the linguistic contributions to Sicilian made by French, Spanish, Provencal, Arabic and other languages.

     This book is designed to meet the bilingual needs of the traveling businessperson, tourist, and student.

    These language lessons cover such common situations as: passing through customs, checking into a hotel, placing phone calls, going to the post office, and extending and accepting invitations.

    Learn about the country's history and culture, acquaint yourself with social customs, restaurant practices, and transportation systems.

    Then learn basic language skills, including vocabulary, grammar, and useful phrases that will have you communicating with natives and moving about freely.

     Clear, easy to use, and insightful, it will introduce you to the evocative Sicilian Language.

    This is a collection of Sicilian proverbs selected, translated and explained by Arthur V. Dieli. The book contains original drawings by Carlo Puleo, a Sicilian artist. The proverbs are arranged alphabetically by key words. The proverbs are in Sicilian, the first Romance language which preceded 'Italian'..

     Discover the beauty and mystery of the Sicilian language within age-old wisdom.

    This unique collection of proverbs, poems, and history are written in native Sicilian, as they were intended to be read, with English translations provided. This collection allows for the beauty and spirit of the Sicilian language to live on.

  With his novels, short stories, and plays, Giovanni Verga (1840–1922) achieved renown in the Sicilian verismo (realist) school of writing. This outstanding selection of 12 short stories — from the Sicilian writer's Vita dei campi (Rural Life) and Novelle rusticane (Rustic Stories) — attests to his storytelling skills.
 
  Selections include "Nedda," a short story that initiated Verga's naturalistic depictions of Sicilian peasant life; the much-celebrated "Cavalleria Rusticana" (Rustic Chivalry), a tale of flirtation, jealousy, and a deadly duel; and "L'amante di Gramigna" (Gramigna's Mistress), a fascinating psychological study.
   
   For this dual-language book, the editor has provided excellent new English translations on pages facing the original Italian text, as well as an informative Introduction and notes.

   This is the most comprehensive grammar of the Sicilian language in English.

   Sicilian is a different language, not a dialect of Italian. Indeed it was the first poetic language of Italy. It was designed for use in the classroom but it can be used by self-learners.

  The grammar is accompanied by The Sounds of Sicilian by Gaetano Cipolla.

ITALIAN/AMERICAN STUDIES

"A demand for Southern pride, as well as an attempt to explain---in a passionate and controversial manner---how the unification of Italy has hurt the South and how much it cost its inhabitants: reduced, decade afterdecade, to second-class Italian."
               Giordano Bruno Guerri, Il Giornale

"Pino Aprile's Terroni should be a textbook. For 150 years we've been told the joke about the South being freed by the Savoy in order to bring freedom, justice, progress. Terroni decribes another reality through tenacious research and documentation of sources."
                   Beppe Grillo, Il Fatto Quotidiano

"Pino Aprile's Terroni ... is one of those books that could cause a revolution, albeit a peaceful one, if read by enough people.... it could become 'the spark that starts the fire' by igniting a sentiment of unity among southern Italians, who are discovering that sometthing is missing in mainstream history books informing how Italy was united 150 years ago."       
          Anthony M. Quattrone, Naples Politics

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