The Leucothea Dialogues Book Review

The Leucothea Dialogues
by Cesare Pavese
Translated from Italian by Minna Zallman Proctor
Published by Archipelago Books

Mom's Review

No one is master of themselves, nor can anyone know another person. -Hermes

Why don't they comprehend how precious their temporariness makes them? -Wood Nymph

Minna Zallman Proctor's translation of Cesare Pavese's 1947 The Leucothea Dialogues is an exceedingly enjoyable read, starting with the translator's note. Twenty-six dialogues between figures of Green myth touch on themes of time, self-knowledge, fate, and one's relationship with the world. Both well-known figures like Oedipus and Herakles, as well as more obscure ones, converse to the reader's benefit, leaving her to consider their analyses of life long after the book is closed. Although The Leucothea Dialogues is itself a slim volume that you could read straight through in a morning, you will want to sit with the implications of each before going on to the next.

A delightful change from my usual fare. I highly recommend it!