The Little Virtues

By Natalia Ginzburg and Rachel Cusk

‘I really love and admire The Little Virtues.’ -- Zadie Smith

‘Ginzburg gives us a new template for the female voice and an idea of what it might sound like.’ -- Rachel Cusk

‘As far as the education of children is concerned I think they should be taught not the little virtues but the great ones.’

Between 1944 and 1960, Natalia Ginzburg wrote The Little Virtues, a collection of eleven vivid portraits of life that are central to her legacy as one of the greatest Italian writers of the twentieth century. From the Italian countryside, where she and her husband lived in exile under fascist rule, to the melancholy streets of 1960s London, Ginzburg explores loneliness and belonging against the backdrop of post-war Europe.

In The Little Virtues, Ginzburg takes familiar objects and experiences – worn-out shoes, money boxes, meatballs, childhood, silence – and transforms them into subjects of great significance. While haunted by the political events of the time, Ginzburg rests her gaze on the human intimacies that shape and define our lives: friendships, marriage and parenthood. She describes her longest relationship – with her writing – in a definitive piece on vocation and motherhood, while her groundbreaking essay on raising children remains as vital as the day it was written.

The Little Virtues is a poignant portrait of Italy in the twentieth century and a singular work of memoir: intrepid, wise and dazzling.

‘If Ferrante is a friend, Ginzburg is a mentor.’ -- Lara Feigel, Guardian

‘A punch-you-in-the-stomach-with-grief-and-beauty masterpiece.’ -- Maggie Nelson

‘A profound commentary on Italian life.’ -- Tim Parks, London Review of Books

‘This reissue of a twentieth century classic contains 11 essays of wisdom that’ll leave you seeing the world from a new perspective.’ -- Emerald Street

Translated by Dick Davis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daunt Books
• Release date: Apr 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781911547150

Natalia Ginzburg

Natalia Ginzburg (Palermo, 1916 − Roma, 1991) es una de las voces más singulares de la literatura italiana del siglo XX. Publicó en 1934 su primera narración, a la que siguieron obras teatrales, ensayos y novelas y colecciones de relatos así como la biografía de Antón Chéjov. Se casó con Leone Ginzburg, de quien tomó el apellido, militante antifascista y director de la Editorial Einaudi. Fueron perseguidos por sus convicciones políticas y desterrados a un pequeño pueblo de los Abruzos de donde escaparon con destino a Roma en 1943. Fue diputada durante dos legislaturas por el Partido Comunista Italiano.

Reviews for The Little Virtues

[randymetcalfe · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The eleven essays collected here cover a long period in Natalia Ginzburg’s writing life. Her vocation, as she often refers to it, has brought her solace through hard times and other pleasures as well. It is her guide to much of life’s vicissitudes, even to the point of steering her understanding of the virtues, little and great.I preferred the essays in part one of the collection. These are at times nostalgic, a touch mournful, highly particularized, and personal. The very first essay, “Winter in the Abruzzi,” may be the best, though her two portraits of England are charming, if only because they describe a land that no longer exists: “It is a country which has always shown itself ready to welcome foreigners, from very diverse communities, without I think oppressing them.” If only.The essays of the second part of the book are more abstract. Not because they deal with essentially abstract notions, but because, I think, Ginzburg’s writing style has changed. Her claims become sweeping, about childhood, education, her own vocation and vocations in general, and the nature of virtue. Here the writing is less compelling, less communicative, less appealing. At least for me.

[aliceap-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I had hoped to be absolutely knocked out of my socks by the essays in this volume but it fell quite a bit short of the mark. The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg was listed in a footnote of a book that I read last year (I think it was Wild Things but I'm honestly not sure) and it piqued my interest because it was listed as a resource for children's education. Ginzburg writes about her childhood in Italy (this is a translation) and the lessons which she learned from the ups and downs of her life there. It was a tumultuous life too. Organized in a series of short essays, different points in the author's life are described and used to illumine various life lessons. She covers just about everything from family dynamics, adolescent friendships, first love, and (what I was there for) the education of children. One of the major issues I had with this book was that education seemed almost like an afterthought even though the title was crafted from this section. I found the overall collection mediocre at best and not at all mindbogglingly profound as the footnote of the other book (and the online reviews) had led me to believe . In fact, only some of the points were even remotely accessible while the majority were nearly indecipherable. It read more as a series of diary entries than anything approaching academic. 5/10 from a severely disappointed nerd.

[boredgames · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

in love with her voice, reaching me across time

[suesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Variety of essays very well written. Content was interesting, but I did not agree with much of it.

[smichaelwilson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of essays by Italian author Natalia Ginzburg focused primarily on her life in Italy during and after World War II, her vocation as a writer, and her reflections on human behavior and relationship. The title of the book comes from her essay by the same name, which discusses the importance of teaching children "big virtues" such as courage, generosity, and love.Ginzburg's prose feels personal yet distant, and there is a lyrical cadence to many of her pieces that belies her poetic soul. Her descriptions of the people and places in wartime and post-war Europe manage to communicate the despair and weariness of a survivor, yet are still tinged with hope and affection. These are essays that will both move you and remain with you.