Stephen Riggio believes it was his destiny to translate Luigi Natoli’s epic Sicilian novel, “I Beati Paoli,” into English. The former CEO of Barnes & Noble spent three years immersed in the project, whose roots trace back to the passing of his daughter Melissa.

“From that tragic event, I returned to the study of the (Italian) language, visited Sicily four times, traced my family’s roots back 400 years, discovered distant relatives, translated a classic work of literature and published it the day before I turned 70 years old,” he recounts.