The reader of Raffaele La Capria's work can not fail to recognize his constant attention to style and language that prompted Geno Pampaloni in 1961 to call him "scrittore gentile, elegante e complicato" (a gentle, elegant yet difficult writer). In each of his novels La Capria focuses on an individual life that is always on the breaking point; when the fracture occurs escapist daydreams usually yield to the unpleasant realities of life. In his short stories he examines different forms of discovery, from the wonder of childhood to the confusion of adult daily experiences, often yielding surprises that are extraordinary or horrific.

In Fiori giapponesi (Japanese Flowers, 1979) La Capria calls normality "a state of emergency," especially when one happens to spend his early youth in Naples, the impenetrable forest that "ti ferisce a morte o ti addormenta" (wounds you to death or puts you to sleep). The presence of...