Childhood in early 20th-century Italy through the narrative of Luigi Pirandello

Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934, is one of the most influential Italian authors of the early twentieth century. His work offers an exact and humane vision of childhood at a time when paediatrics was still emerging as a distinct discipline. This essay explores selected stories from the collection Novelle per un anno (Short Stories for One Year) that depict childhood illness, vulnerability and care. Fragile newborns and neglected or exploited children are shown as shaped not only by disease but also by poverty, limited medical knowledge and cultural beliefs. Through these narratives, Pirandello anticipates key concerns of contemporary medical humanities: the importance of integrating empathy and awareness into paediatric care to help clinicians remain humane in their practice.