Here's how Capuana begins his tales: Dear nieces and nephews: Listen to how these tales were born. After having written one for a dear child who desperately wanted a beautiful tale from me, it
occurred to me one day to write some others for my grandchildren. At that time, I was sad and also a little ill with an intellectual inertia that made me angry. Readers will not easily imagine
the joy I experienced from this work as I found myself, all of a sudden, creating in my imagination that marvelous world of fairies, magicians, kings, queens, monsters, and spells that make up
the artistic landscape of a young mind.
