Answering a question one evening
One evening, some time ago, Tabucchi was the subject of a convivial conversation in the course of which a blunt question arose: what is his best work? My reply, abetted by the situation and by my character, was unhesitating: the story "Lettera da Casablanca" ["Letter from Casablanca"].

Pursuing the hypothesis
Returning to the subject, in the cool of the morning and at an alcohol-free desk, I con-firm my choice of "Lettera da Casablanca".1 But at this point the matter becomes more demanding and, in every sense, more engaging. Pursuing the hypothesis entails a whole gamut of ensuing options, of emphatic pronouncements, of assent to this and rejection of that. Just to give a brief, preliminary idea, consider the following...