Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Giovanni Verga's books

Giovanni Verga’s Followers (211)

Giovanni Verga

Born

in Catania, Sicilia, Italy

September 02, 1840

Died

January 27, 1922

Genre

Fiction

edit data

Giovanni Verga was an Italian realist writer, best known for his depictions of life in Sicily, and especially for the short story Cavalleria Rusticana and the novel I Malavoglia.

The first son of Giovanni Battista Catalano Verga and Caterina Di Mauro, Verga was born into a prosperous family of Catania in Sicily. He began writing in his teens, producing the largely unpublished historical novel Amore e Patria (Love and Country); then, although nominally studying law at the University of Catania, he used money his father had given him to publish his I Carbonari della Montagna (The Carbonari of the Mountain) in 1861 and 1862. This was followed by Sulle Lagune (In the Lagoons) in 1863.

Meanwhile, Verga had been serving in the Catania National Guar Giovanni Verga was an Italian realist writer, best known for his depictions of life in Sicily, and especially for the short story Cavalleria Rusticana and the novel I Malavoglia.

The first son of Giovanni Battista Catalano Verga and Caterina Di Mauro, Verga was born into a prosperous family of Catania in Sicily. He began writing in his teens, producing the largely unpublished historical novel Amore e Patria (Love and Country); then, although nominally studying law at the University of Catania, he used money his father had given him to publish his I Carbonari della Montagna (The Carbonari of the Mountain) in 1861 and 1862. This was followed by Sulle Lagune (In the Lagoons) in 1863.

Meanwhile, Verga had been serving in the Catania National Guard (1860-64), after which he travelled to Florence several times, settling there in 1869.
He moved to Milan in 1872, where he developed his new approach, characterized by the use of dialogue to develop character, which resulted in his most significant works. In 1880 his story collection Vita dei Campi (Life in the Fields), (including Fantasticheria, La Lupa, and Pentolacchia) most of which were about rural Sicily, came out; it included the Cavalleria Rusticana, which was adapted for the theatre and later the libretto of the Mascagni opera. Verga's short story, "Malaria", was one of the first literary depictions of the disease.

He then embarked on a projected series of five novels, but only completed two, I Malavoglia and Mastro-Don Gesualdo (1889), the latter of which was the last major work of his literary career. Both are widely recognized as masterpieces.
In 1894 Verga moved back to the house he was born in. In 1920 he was elected a senator. He died of a cerebral thrombosis in 1922.

The Teatro Verga in Catania is named after him.

In the book by Silvia Iannello Le immagini e le parole dei Malavoglia (Sovera, Roma, 2008), the author selects some passages of the Giovanni Verga' novel I Malavoglia, adds original comments and Acitrezza' photographic images, and devotes a chapter to the origins, remarks and frames taken from the immortal movie La terra trema (1948) directed by Luchino Visconti. ...more

Combine Editions
Giovanni Verga’s books

Average rating: 3.56 · 32,454 ratings · 1,513 reviews · 515 distinct works • Similar authors

	I Malavoglia 3.48 avg rating — 17,074 ratings — published 1881 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Storia di una capinera 3.78 avg rating — 4,479 ratings — published 1871 — 157 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mastro-don Gesualdo: Edizione critica 3.48 avg rating — 2,720 ratings — published 1888 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rosso Malpelo 3.82 avg rating — 1,845 ratings — published 1878 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tutte le novelle 3.75 avg rating — 494 ratings — published 1992 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rosso Malpelo e altre novelle 3.62 avg rating — 505 ratings — published 1880 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La Lupa by Giovanni Verga, David Lan 3.64 avg rating — 435 ratings — published 1880 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vita dei campi by Giovanni Verga, Carla Riccardi (Editor) 3.52 avg rating — 442 ratings — published 1880 — 42 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tutte le novelle. Volume I by Giovanni Verga, Carla Riccardi (Introduction) 3.91 avg rating — 378 ratings — published 1942 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories by Giovanni Verga, G.H. McWilliam (Introduction) 3.64 avg rating — 329 ratings — published 1896 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Giovanni Verga…

Series by Giovanni Verga

Il ciclo dei vinti (2 books)
by

Giovanni Verga

3.48 avg rating — 19,790 ratings

Quotes by Giovanni Verga (?)

“Il mare non ha paese nemmeno lui, ed è di tutti quelli che lo stanno ad ascoltare, di qua e di là dove nasce e muore il sole”
― Giovanni Verga, I Malavoglia

tags: acitrezza, giovanni-verga, malavoglia, ntoni, verga

18 likes

“Nei piccoli paesi c’è della gente che farebbe delle miglia per venire a portarvi la cattiva nuova.”
― Giovanni Verga, Mastro-don Gesualdo

tags: giovanni-verga, italian-literature, letteratura-italiana, mastro-don-gesualdo, verga, verismo

12 likes

“Il cuore si stanca anche lui, vedi; e se ne va a pezzo a pezzo, come le robe vecchie si disfanno nel bucato.”
― Giovanni Verga, I Malavoglia

6 likes

See all Giovanni Verga's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Chicks On Lit: Novels in Italy	42	156	Jun 24, 2011 07:56AM
Book Haven: I am Currently Reading (2011)	1541	1015	Jan 27, 2012 11:12AM
All About Books: Laura's Reading Journey	23	49	Dec 17, 2013 04:33AM
Indian Readers: 2013, dely is coming!	205	290	Dec 31, 2013 10:09AM
All About Books: The Drinking Den by Émile Zola (Zola Project)	47	62	May 17, 2014 11:37PM
All About Books: Anastasia's Reading Journey	27	53	May 20, 2014 11:49PM
All About Books: Anastasia's reads in 2014	92	111	Nov 08, 2014 05:37AM

More…

Giovanni Verga’s Followers (211)

Giovanni Verga

Combine EditionsGiovanni Verga’s books

Series by Giovanni Verga

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Giovanni Verga’s books