Goffredo Parise's quest to capture the essence of human sentiment in prose-poem form resulted in the publication in 1972 of SILLABARIO N. 1, which contained 22 stories with titles proceeding alphabetically. Characterized by the same clarity found in ABECEDARY, SOLITUDES is a series of exquisite miniatures that form a bittersweet exploration of the joy and the melancholy of life.