Selected Shorts: The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories with Jhumpa Lahiri

Author, editor, translator, and Pulitzer Prize & National Book Award-winner Jhumpa Lahiri curates an evening of stories by celebrated Italian authors alongside captivating new discoveries, all from this exciting new collection, which reflects more than one hundred years of Italy's vibrant and diverse short story tradition. With readings by Dawn Akemi Saito, and more.

There will not be a book signing at this event.

"Lahiri has pulled off something quite striking here: a literary anthology that sparkles with invention and variety, and makes a remarkably convincing case for the vitality of the modern Italian short story and also beguiles, thanks to her sharp-eyed work as editor, compiler and part-translator." — Robert Gordon, Literary Review (UK)

Selected Shorts is produced by Symphony Space and broadcast on more than 150 stations around the country. The series began in 1985 and enjoys sold-out performances to this day. Selected Shorts was conceived with a simple premise: take great stories by well-known and emerging writers and have them performed by terrific actors of stage and screen. Featuring stories around a lively theme, the favorite works of a guest author, or a special collaboration, each Selected Shorts event is a unique night of literature in performance.

Recent readers include Ellen Burstyn, Kate Walsh, Bebe Neuwirth, Claire Danes, Michael Shannon, Kyle Maclachlan, LeVar Burton, Jane Curtin, Danielle Brooks, Cynthia Nixon, Rainn Wilson, Holly Hunter, Hugh Dancy, Joan Allen, Josh Radnor, Tony Shalhoub, Maggie Gyllenhaal, BD Wong and more.

Actors subject to change. Casting and special guests will be announced on our website so check for up-to-date information.