Portelli has reinvented the genre of the short story. One has to move on, with one’s imaginary hopping from one stance to another, from rancour to joy, resentment to kindness, holiness to blasphemy. Some moments of our lives are the most memorable ones, and are more significant than hours or maybe years… Moments of happiness, loss, embarrassment, moments of hope. Portelli writes about these memorable moments. Portelli’s swift, conceptually clear and sharp short stories provide us with ordinary yet complex social encounters… sublime encounters that transfer authentic realities into realistic narratives.