If it were possible to have a life absolutely free from every feeling of sin, what a terrifying vacuum it would be.

for the Italians his death has come to have a weight like that of Hart Crane for us a meaning that penetrates back into his own work and functions as a symbol in the literature of an age. As a young man of letters Pavese had a particular interest in English-language literature graduating from the University of Turin with a thesis on the poetry of Walt Whitman. Bitter struggles took place between Germans and partisans in this area.

He is widely considered among the major authors of the 20th century in his home country.