Maria Zef

Portrays the struggle to come of age or even survive in a harsh environment.
Maria Zef 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, Shoeshine and The Bicycle Thief, 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.

Born in the medieval town of Castelfranco in the Venéto, Paola Drigo (1879–1938) wrote frankly about the poor and brutal lives of toilers in preindustrial northern Italy. Maria Zef, 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.

Contributor: Blossom Steinberg Kirschenbaum (Translated by), Blossom Steinberg Kirschenbaum (Introduction by)

Translator: Blossom Steinberg Kirschenbaum

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.