Mark Pietralunga's brilliant introduction provides historical and cultural context for the letters and traces Pavese's early development as a leading Americanist and translator. The volume also includes an appendix of Chiuminatto's detailed annotations and thorough explanations of colloquial American terms and slang, drawn from the works of Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood Anderson, and William Faulkner. A lively and illuminating exchange, this collection ultimately corroborates critical opinion that America was the igniting spark of Pavese's literary beginnings as a writer and translator.