ABSTRACT
In 1954, when presenting a new edition of Conversazione in Sicilia, Elio Vittorini referred to it as his best novel, 'il solo cui tenga veramente'. Conversazione in Sicilia has achieved a unique position in the history of Italian literature thanks to both its political and stylistic features. This chapter outlines the history of Conversazione in Sicilia from its first publication in a journal to its various editions, also paying attention to the critical response it aroused. In examining Vittorini's fictional works written in the mid-1930s, the author mapped the development of a new prose style and a new approach to story telling. The sophistication of the narrative structure underpinning Conversazione in Sicilia involves a high degree of ambiguity as regards an interpretation of the content. In narrative literature of all cultures, journeys are a privileged topos, and Italian literature, its origin distinguished by one of the world's most famous literary journeys, is no exception.
