This sweeping saga chronicles the decline of a Sicilian fishing family over several generations. What begins as a hopeful endeavor to improve their fortunes quickly unravels due to a series of devastating events and poor decisions. Each successive generation grapples with economic hardship, personal tragedy, and the erosion of their social standing. The series offers a poignant portrayal of the relentless struggle for survival, dignity, and tradition against the backdrop of a harsh, unforgiving world.
Three generations of fishermen conduct an epic struggle against nature, fate, and society in this tale by realist writer Giovanni Verga. Written in 1881 and set in the Sicilian village of Aci Trezza during the 1860s, the novel recounts an impoverished family's attempts to pay off a crushing debt, to reclaim their lost boat and ancestral home, and to reunite their scattered clan.
On the face of things, Mastro Don Gesualdo is a success. Born a peasant but a man' with an eye for everything going', he becomes one of the richest men in Sicily, marrying an aristocrat with his daughter destined, in time, to wed a duke. But Gesualdo falls foul of the rigid class structure of mid-19th century Sicily. His title Mastro Don, 'Worker Gentleman', is ironic in itself. Peasants and gentry alike resent his extraordinary success. And when the pattern of society is threatened by revolt, Gesualdo is the rebels' first target.