Sicilian-born playwright Luigi Pirandello studied philology and taught aesthetics and stylistics in Rome in addition to writing novellas under the collected title tNovelle per un anno(15 vols., 1922-37). He is best known for his dramatic plays, however, published 1918 and 1935, under the title Maschere nude[Naked Masks]. Pirandello's humour is ironic, arising from the contradictions inherent in life and this is seen in three of his greatest works, included in this edition: Six Characters in Search of An Author - The stage itself, the symbol of appearance versus reality, becomes the setting of the play. Henry IV - a man supposedly mad imagines that he is a medieval emperor, and his imagination and reality are strangely confused. The conflict between illusion and reality. Right You Are! (If You Think You Are) - Two characters hold contradictory notions about the identity of a third person. Pirandello died on December 10, 1936.