Donna Mimma (Donna Mimma, 1925)

This ninth Collection of Stories for a Year was first published by the Florentine press Bemporad in 1925.

With the exception of “A Bench under an Old Cypress” and “Mortal Remains,” all of these stories had previously appeared in the collection Horse in the Moon (Un cavallo nella luna; Milan: Treves, 1918). Even before appearing in that collection, “Visiting the Sick” was included in the volume Jests of Life and Death (Beffe della morte e della vita; Florence: Francesco Lumachi, 1903), and “The New Suit” appeared in The Two Masks (Le due maschere; Florence: Quattrini, 1914).

With the exception of “When You’ve Understood the Game,” all of these stories first appeared in various magazines or newspapers. In chronological order: “Visiting the Sick” appeared in five serial segments in Roma di Roma, between November 9 and 13, 1896; “Horse in the Moon” came out in Il Marzocco, June 23, 1907; “Fear of Being Happy” (originally titled “Il saltamartino”), was first published in the Rivista popolare di politica, lettere e scienze sociali on January 31, 1911; “The Dog’s Revenge,” in the Corriere della Sera, March 13, 1913; “The New Suit,” likewise in the Corriere della Sera, June 16, 1913; “Swift and Little Swallow,” also in the Corriere della Sera, November 30, 1913; “The Little Black Goat,” again in the Corriere della Sera, December 31, 1913; “The Pensioners of Memory” came out in Aprutium, January, 1914; “Donna Mimma”, in La lettura, January, 1917; “The Cat, a Goldfinch and the Stars,” in Penombra, 1917; “Mortal Remains,” again in the Corriere della Sera, July 26, 1924; and “A Bench under an Old Cypress,” in the Corriere della Sera as well, appearing August 13, 1924.

The short stories “The Pensioners of Memory” and “The Waiting Room” became sources for Pirandello’s subsequent play, a “tragedy in three acts,” The Life I Gave You (La vita che ti diedi), which premiered in 1923.

Donna Mimma consists of thirteen short stories:

“Donna Mimma” (“Donna Mimma”)
“The New Suit” (“L’abito nuovo”)
“The Little Black Goat” (“Il capretto nero”)
“A Bench under an Old Cypress” (“Sedile sotto un vecchio cipresso”)
“The Cat, a Goldfinch and the Stars” (“Il gatto, un cardellino e le stelle”)
“The Dog’s Revenge” (“La vendetta del cane”)
“Swift and Little Swallow” (“Rondone e Rondinella”)
“War” (“Quando si comprende”)
“Horse in the Moon” (“Un cavallo nella luna”)
“Mortal Remains” (“Resti mortali”)
“Fear of Being Happy” (“Paura d’esser felice”)
“Visiting the Sick” (“Visitare gl’infermi”)
“The Pensioners of Memory” (“I pensionati della memoria”)