The House at the Edge of Night (44 page)

For Daniele

The House at the Edge of Night
would never have come into being without the work of three great chroniclers of Sicilian and Italian folk stories: Giuseppe Pitrè, Laura Gonzenbach, and Italo Calvino. Pitrè, the real story-collecting doctor whose life inspired the character of Amedeo Esposito, rescued many hundreds of Sicilian folk stories from obscurity and
The
Collected Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales of Giuseppe Pitrè,
translated and edited by Jack Zipes and Joseph Russo, was my first point of inspiration. Laura Gonzenbach's
Beautiful Angiola: The Great Treasury of Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales
(also translated by Jack Zipes) was another important resource. My version of “The Two Brothers” is an adaptation of Andrew Lang's retelling of Gonzenbach's version of the tale. Italo Calvino's
Italian Folktales
introduced me to many of the haunting and beautiful stories from across Italy that found their way into Amedeo's red book. The story that I have called “The Wrecked Ship” was inspired by Calvino's version of “The Ship with Three Decks,” and the story that I have called “The City of the Dead” is an adaptation of Calvino's version of “The Dead Man's Palace.” The excerpt from “The Man Wreathed in Seaweed” at the opening of Part Two is taken from George Martin's 1980 translation of Calvino's
Italian Folktales
. The tale of the curse of weeping, however, is my own.

For invaluable help with my research into Amedeo's early life, I am grateful to Dottoressa Lucia Ricciardi and the archive and library of the Istituto degli Innocenti, Florence, as well as the book
Figli d'Italia: Gli Innocenti e la Nascita di un Progetto Nazionale per l'Infanzia
. In
The House at the Edge of Night
I have presented a fictionalized version of that noble and forward-thinking institution, Florence's foundling hospital, and any errors are my own.

My research into life under Fascism was helped enormously by R. J. B. Bosworth's book
Mussolini's Italy,
and by Francesco Fausto Nitti's personal account of escape from a prison island, “Prisoners of Mussolini.” For its informative and vivid account of Operation Husky, I am grateful to Rick Atkinson's
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943–1944,
and for its sensitive portrayal of the plight of deserters in World War II, Charles Glass's
Deserter: The Last Untold Story of the Second World War.
Finally, I drew inspiration from two great chroniclers of postwar Sicily, Danilo Dolci and his book
Inchiesta a Palermo,
translated into English as
Poverty in Sicily
, as well as Carlo Levi's
Le Parole sono Pietre
or
Words Are Stones
.

There are several people without whose immense personal support
The House at the Edge of Night
would never have been written. First, I would like to thank my agent Simon Trewin, the book's greatest champion, who has, as always, been part of this project from the very first page. Second, my U.S. agent Suzanne Gluck, whose support and passion for
The House at the Edge of Night
have been incredible. Also Tracy Fisher, international agent extraordinaire, and Matilda Forbes-Watson, for her invaluable and much-appreciated support at every stage of the process. My editors, Kate Medina and Jocasta Hamilton, have championed both me and the book with infinite care and wisdom; I feel very fortunate that
The House at the Edge of Night
has been in their hands from the start. I would also like to thank Derrill Hagood for her support and guidance during the editing process, and Robin Duchnowski for providing important insights. The teams at Hutchinson and Random House, as well as my editors around the world, have been an invaluable support, and I am more grateful than I can say for their belief in
The House at the Edge of Night
and in the importance of telling this story of the financial crisis, the small town, and European history.

Many friends and family sustained me during the long process of writing
The House at the Edge of Night,
and I am extremely grateful for their immense love and support. In particular, I would like to thank my mother, Jane Wheare, my sister, and my father, Michael Banner, as well as Sally-Ann Gannon, Marta Ruth, Roberto Galloni, Michela Joppolo, Alessandro Galloni, my extended family both English and Italian, and those friends who offered me support and help in countless ways during the writing of the book.

Finally, and most importantly, I wish to thank my husband, Daniele Galloni, to whom this book is dedicated. His support has been so unfailing and his belief in me so complete that I feel that this book is as much his as it is my own.

The Eyes of a King

Voices in the Dark

The Heart at War

The House at the Edge of Night

C
ATHERINE
B
ANNER
was born in Cambridge, England, and began writing at the age of fourteen. She has published a trilogy of young adult novels. She studied English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and has taught at schools in the United Kingdom.
The House at the Edge of Night
is her debut adult novel. She lives in Turin, Italy, with her husband.

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