This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Elsa Morante (1912–1985), who is rightfully recognized as a classic of Italian literature of the 20th century. She is an excellent prose writer, poet, author of children's books; films have been made based on her works, and her poems have been set to music. The book includes stories from two of Morante's collections, The Andalusian Shawl (1963) and Forgotten Stories, published posthumously in 2002. All the stories are different, very vivid, and each of them is a special world. Some gravitate towards fantastic stories, others resemble parables or legends, and even in stories about the lives of ordinary people there is room for mystery. Elsa Morante's action develops smoothly and slowly, and in the most unexpected place the narrative takes a sharp leap, a one hundred and eighty degree turn that takes your breath away.