{"title":"Maria Messina","description":"Maria Messina (1887-1944) was born in Palermo, Sicily. She taught herself to read and write, eventually finding a mentor in the famed Italian realist Giovanni Verga, who encouraged her to begin writing seriously. Her works include novels, short stories, and children's tales. In 1910, she received the Medal of Gold for her first book of stories, Pettini-fini (Fine Combs).","products":[{"product_id":"behind-closed-doors-her-fathers-house-and-other-stories-of-sicily-paperback","title":"Behind Closed Doors: Her Father's House and Other Stories of Sicily - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTen stories of impoverished Sicilian women in the early 20th century\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Sicilian writer Maria Messina's captivating and brutal stories of the women of her home island are presented in a \"lyrical and immediate\" English translation by Elise Magistro (\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eMessina, who died in 1944, was the foremost female practitioner of verismo--the Italian literary realism pioneered by fellow Sicilian Giovanni Verga. Published between 1908 and 1928, Messina's fiction represents the massive Sicilian immigration to America occurring at that time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe individuals in these stories are caught between the traditions they respect and a desire to move beyond them. Women are shuttered in their houses, virtual servants to their families, left behind while working men immigrate to the United States in fortune-seeking droves. A cultural album that captures the lives of peasant, working-class, and middle-class women, \"Messina's words will leave their mark. Their power makes them impossible to forget\" (\u003cem\u003eThe Philadelphia Inquirer\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102888661215,"sku":"9781558613690","price":21.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/yt5Yf9nhfr9781558613690.webp?v=1781087544"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/maria-messina.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}