The Faithful Lover

The Faithful Lover () is a 1953 short story collection by the Italian writer Massimo Bontempelli. It contains 14 short stories and a novella. The stories were written from 1940 to 1946 and are associated with magical realism. A recurring subject is the process toward self-awareness and validation of life choices.

Host Publications published an English translation by Estelle Gilson in 2007. The English edition omits two stories. The book was awarded the 1953 Strega Prize.

Contents

Stories as they are ordered in the Italian original

1. "Nitta"
2. "Second-Story Man" ()
3. "Violets" ()
4. "Pilgrims" ()
5. "Pietro and Domenico" ()
6. "Encounter" ()
7. "Lights" ()
8. "" ()
9. "Empress" ()
10. "Octogenarian" ()
11. "The Faithful Lover" ()
12. "" ()
13. "Moonwort" ()
14. "The Rooster" ()

• Water ()

References