The House by the Medlar Tree Author:Giovanni Verga from the back cover: — "A New Translation with a Foreword by Raymond Rosenthal: — This Signet Classic edition presents the first complete English translation of, "The House by the Medlar Tree." Anticipating such writers as Joyce, Faulkner, and Henry Green, Verga tells his story through the varied voices of his characters, the inhabitants of a poor... more » Sicilian fishing village. With vivid immediacy these voices -- magnificently individualized and dramatically juxtaposed -- re-create the comedy, the irony, and the abiding tragedy of existence, in a work that gives artistic form to a profound vision of human destiny. As Raymond Rosenthal writes: 'Its theme is the harsh, age-old theme of the meaning of work and the dignity of human striving and suffering. [Verga] has rediscovered in poverty and hardship... an ancient rhythm, a sorrowing lyricism, an epic intonation. When D.H. Lawrence first discovered Verga, he could find only one word adequate to his primitive depth and power: Homeric.' "« less