The Christmas Present and other stories

Book excerpt: A native of Sardinia, Grazia Deledda’s novels are mostly set in the rugged hills around her home town of Nuoro. Her characters reflect the difficult lives of people still constrained by ancient customs and practices. Her voice is powerful, her tone often sombre. But her wide-ranging talent had a sunnier side, revealed in many of her later works. The Christmas Present, first published in 1930, brings together a collection of folk tales, children’s stories and personal reminiscences that portray with humour and affection the lighter side of Sardinian life. This is a book that will charm and delight, opening a window on to the Sardinia of old and the formative influences on a Nobel laureate.