{"product_id":"maria-zef-paola-drigo-9780803265776","title":"Maria Zef","description":"\u003ci\u003eMaria Zef\u003c\/i\u003e was considered the farthest limit of verismo in contemporary Italian literature when it was first published in 1936. Like the great films to come after the war, \u003ci\u003eShoeshine\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Bicycle Thief\u003c\/i\u003e, Paola Drigo's gritty novel portrays the struggle to come of age or even survive in a harsh environment. But its setting is more rural and its protagonist is a young girl whose voice will now be heard around the world in this English translation by Blossom Steinberg Kirschenbaum. \u003cp\u003eBorn in the medieval town of Castelfranco in the Ven騁o, Paola Drigo (1879-1938) wrote frankly about the poor and brutal lives of toilers in preindustrial northern Italy. \u003ci\u003eMaria Zef\u003c\/i\u003e, her masterpiece, focuses on the orphaned Maria, who assumes responsibilities beyond her years in protecting her baby sister and staying alive. Poverty, toil, illness, solitude, and abuse contribute to one of the most horrifying climaxes in modern fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Paola Drigo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0803265778\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780803265776\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Nebraska Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/1989\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 182\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.49h x 4.80w x 0.58d","brand":"Paola Drigo","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44057344147711,"sku":"9780803265776","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_32e2cfcf-db54-4983-98f2-b48e9bb0b849.jpg?v=1685046436","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/maria-zef-paola-drigo-9780803265776","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}