Sicilian Tales of Mystery and Imagination

My name is Giuseppe Guarino. I was born and raised in Sicily. In this book, I present to the English-speaking public some short tales that I wrote between 1986 and 2006. The Italian atmosphere will be apparent to the reader. Some of my writings are heavily influenced by my culture and mother tongue, and I hope that my readers will be patient and curious about the complexities of the Sicilian culture. "The Bar" is a tale that requires the reader to understand that an Italian bar is similar to a coffee shop. In Sicily, people go there to have espresso, cappuccino, and also typical Sicilian food and sweets. Translating the tales was not an easy task. My Italian is characterized by long, rhetorical sentences, and my sense of humor is often obscure to my Sicilian friends. You will find it hidden behind many apparently innocent sentences, but I promise you, it's there. In any case, I hope you enjoy reading my tales as much as I enjoyed writing them.