The Leopard is a book published in 1958 after the death of Italian author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. The book, which was first rejected by two major publishing houses, was the best-selling book in the history of Italy when the third publishing house finally published it. It was also among the most critical novels of modern Italian literature. In 2012, The Observer represented The Leopard among the ten best historical novels.
It was a long time since I bought Leopard, so it waited for a long time in the library. When I saw an exquisite article about it somewhere, I realized that I had to read it even though I thought it would bore me. I couldn’t be more wrong. Far from being boring, The Leopard is a book that embraces people.
Although Lampedusa wrote the book in 1958, it takes place in Sicily in 1860. It tells the story of the noble Salina family and the change they encounter with its attractive characters. The story perfectly establishes the balance between both love and the political situation of Sicily and Italy. It is so easy to see why this book is still so popular. In the first few pages, the different approach of the author and the story will immediately fascinate you. Enjoy!
The Leopard
The Leopard is a modern classic which tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution.
In the spring of 1860, Fabrizio, the charismatic Prince of Salina, still rules over thousands of acres and hundreds of people, including his own numerous family, in mingled splendour and squalor. Then comes Garibaldi’s landing in Sicily and the Prince must decide whether to resist the forces of change or come to terms with them.
‘Every once in a while, like certain golden moments of happiness, infinitely memorable, one stumbles on a book or a writer, and the impact is like an indelible mark. Lampedusa’s The Leopard, his only novel, and a masterpiece, is such a work’ Independent
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa was an Italian writer and the last Prince of Lampedusa. He is most famous for his only novel, Il Gattopardo, which set in his native Sicily during the Risorgimento.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
