Guest host Hope Davis presents a program of Italian short fiction selected by the novelist and short-story writer Jhumpa Lahiri.  The stories were drawn from The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories, which Lahiri edited.  They range from the comic to the fantastical.  In Leonardo Sciascia’s “The Long Voyage,” hopeful peasants try to make it to a mysterious place called “Trenton.” The reader is John Turturro.  A couple hopes to restore pre-World War II elegance in “Invitation to Dinner,” by Alba de Cespedes, read by Dawn Akemi Saito.  And there’s heat, sand, water, and magical realism on offer in Massimo Bontempelli’s “The Miraculous Beach, or, Prize for Modesty, read by Hugh Dancy.

Guest host Hope Davis presents a program of Italian short fiction selected by the novelist and short-story writer Jhumpa Lahiri.&nbsp; The stories were drawn from The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories, which Lahiri edited.&nbsp; They range from the comic to the fantastical.&nbsp; In Leonardo Sciascia&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Long Voyage,&rdquo; hopeful peasants try to make it to a mysterious place called &ldquo;Trenton.&rdquo; The reader is John Turturro.&nbsp; A couple hopes to restore pre-World War II elegance in &ldquo;Invitation to Dinner,&rdquo; by Alba de Cespedes, read by Dawn Akemi Saito.&nbsp; And there&rsquo;s heat, sand, water, and magical realism on offer in Massimo Bontempelli&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Miraculous Beach, or, Prize for Modesty, read by Hugh Dancy.

Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy. New episodes every Thursday. Produced and distributed by Symphony Space.

Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy. New episodes every Thursday. Produced and distributed by Symphony Space.

Selected Shorts

Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy. New episodes every Thursday, from Symphony Space.

Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy. New episodes every Thursday, from Symphony Space.

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