Why Read a 1958 Italian masterpiece about a Sicilian Count?
This book is often described as one of the great novels of the 20th century. It is.
This book is now firmly placed within my desert island list.
This book can be read once a year.
This book requires a little background on 19th century history of Italy & Sicily.
This book is MORE relevant today in 2022 than it was when published in 1958.
These were my bullet point notes as I set to write a review of this widely acknowledged masterpiece. They will serve as my review. There are more than enough beautifully written and learned reviews on the Internet on this book like there are on any masterpiece. It is on my list right now because after first reading it almost thirty years ago and missing all that is great about it, my wife insisted I reread it if I was going to join her on a trip to Sicily. I read it and as the main character, Don Fabrizio, did each night after dinner, I soon wanted to read it out loud, page by page, to my family.
PS: if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the eponymous movie with Burt Lancaster is one of the book’s highest compliments.
The Leopard
Giuseppe Lampedusa
1958 348 pages
