Three names dominate the Italian novel in the English-speaking world - Italo Calvino, Primo Levi and Umberto Eco. Yet since the late 1960s there have been many more important Italian writers whose work remains unknown outside Italy. This ground-breaking book brings their writings to a wider audience, offering general critical introductions to fifteen contemporary novelists whose work is of an international calibre. Central to most is a preoccupation with the relationship between writing and the world. The authors deal with a vast range of topics and periods - including present-day events, the past, and the problems faced by women and by society as a whole - but nearly all look at how such matters might be tackled in literature. With each chapter written by an Italian specialist and a full introduction setting the novelists in their historical and cultural context, The New Italian Novel is essential reading for anyone wanting an English introduction to the best of Italian writing.