GIOVANNI, A HOLLYWOOD-LIKE DESTINY AND OTHER SHORT STORIES

This collection of three short stories by Giuseppe Italiano evokes in equal parts the passion of Mario Monicelli’s Big Deal on Madonna Street and the fast paced thrills of a Hollywood action blockbuster. It brings together plots

and a multitude of protagonists spread across continents and eras, from a real or imagined Italy to the desire-or rather, the ambition-to create cinema beyond the reader’s wildest dreams.

Giovanni recounts the daring, unthinkable social ascent of a young Sicilian forced to sweat his way through Belgian mines, whose life is turned upside down following a chance meeting with a certain Kirk Douglas, deep in preparations for his role as Vincent van Gogh.

The Young Screenwriter searches far and wide through the city of Rome to find an actor able to embody his protagonist.

Andrea, Émilie and the Others traces the tormented life of Marc, a shameless Casanova who, under the conditions of the global lockdown, decides to track down his long-lost conquests.

Italiano’s mastery of a raw, almost technical style, free of frills and flourishes, makes this book a real page-turner.