Quand'ero matto - When I was mad

The main character of this story tells about a time, in his past life, when he was mad. Now that he is recovered he is able to explain his "madness", which consisted in feeling inside himself the lives of other people and sensing himself as part of the nature, in a deep empathy with plants and animals. Even though the man describes that time as a peaceful and happy period, he argues that it was hard to live among "normal" people who didn't understand his "weird" behaviour...

Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) was a great Italian writer - my favorite! Humor is a key-word in his huge production (which I hardly suggest you to check out ;D): he used it as a narrative tecnique to reverse reality and discover its deepest sense and contraddictions. The way he wrote is just amazing and that is why I propose you the original version of the story in Italian, which is beautiful for the words he uses and the images he evokes. I hope you can find the English version too in some bookshop or library! The most beautiful part, about empathy, is the one entitled "Fondamento della morale".