Der Perlentaucher unter den Buchläden Eichendorff21

**Maria Messina** (1887-1944) was born in Palermo, Sicily. She taught herself to read and write, eventually finding a mentor in the famed Italian realist Giovanni Verga, who encouraged her to begin writing seriously. Her works include novels, short stories, and children's tales. In 1910, she received the Medal of Gold for her first book of stories, _Pettini-fini_ ( _Fine Combs_ ). **Fred Gardaphe** is the director of Italian American Studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the president of MELUS (The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the US). **Elise Magistro** holds a doctorate in Italian from UCLA and is a lecturer in Italian at Scripps College in Claremont, California.