The Beautiful Summer

One of the few essential novelists of the mid-twentieth century

Susan Sontag

[Pavese writes books of] extraordinary depth where one never stops finding new levels, new meanings

Italo Calvino

There is something about [Pavese] that is insinuating, haunting and lyrically pervasive

New York Times Book Review

Cesare Pavese's cool, contemplative voice was the most important among postwar Italian writers

W. S. DiPiero

Pavese, to me, is a constant source of inspiration

Jhumpa Lahiri

An astonishing portrait of an innocent on the verge of discovering the cruelties of love... an inimitable read... there are whispers here of the future work of Elena Ferrante

Elizabeth Strout, from the introduction

For my trip to Los Angeles, I'm packing Cesare Pavese's The Beautiful Summer, with an introduction by Elizabeth Strout, a slender account of love in 1930s Italy

Jessie Burton, bestselling author of 'The Miniaturist', Guardian Best Summer Books 2018

Reminds one very much of the trajectory of the relationship between two young people at the heart of André Aciman's Call Me By Your Name

RTE Recommended Summer Reads

Penguin's re-release of Cesare Pavese's The Beautiful Summer (as choice a pick as its title implies) is simply gorgeous

Marie Claire - Best Books to Read This Summer

We must be grateful to the Penguin European Writers series, a precious venture in these dark times

John Banville

There is never any doubt of Pavese's talent

The Times

Pavese writes with a vivid quietude that is always engaging

Guardian

[A] remarkable author

Scotsman