The Child of Pleasure

(Hardback)

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The Child of Pleasure (1889) is a novel by Gabriele DAnnunzio. The first in a series of three novels exploring the lives of the Italian bourgeoisie, The Child of Pleasure marked a shift in DAnnunzios early writing, which consisted of poems in the Symbolist tradition. Considered a central text of Italian Decadentism, the novel has earned comparisons to the work of Oscar Wilde and Joris-Karl Huysmans. The next evening, he arrived at the palace a few minutes earlier than usual, with a wonderful gardenia in his button-hole and a vague uneasiness in his mind. His coup had to stop in front of the entrance, the portico being occupied by another carriage, from which a lady was alighting. The liveries, the horses, the ceremonial which accompanied her arrival all proclaimed a great position. The Count caught a glimpse of a tall and graceful figure, a scintillation of diamonds in dark hair and a slender foot on the step. From his home at the Palazzo Zuccari, Andrea Sperelli leads a life in pursuit of beauty, pleasure, and women. When an ex-lover returns to Rome following the breakdown of her marriage, he loses interest in his numerous affairs and longs to regain her love. But the past proves difficult to forget, the memories of betrayal and unhappiness no less painful after so many years apart. Wounded in a duel, Andrea is taken to a rural village to recuperate. There, he meets the beautiful Maria, who seems to promise a life of love and friendship. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Gabriele DAnnunzios The Child of Pleasure is a classic work of Italian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Author Bio

Gabriele DAnnunzio (1863-1938) was an Italian poet, playwright, soldier, and political figure. Born in Pescara, Abruzzo, DAnnunzio was the son of the mayor, a wealthy landowner. He published his first book of poems at sixteen, launching his career as a leading Italian artist of his time. In 1891, he published his first novel, A Child of Pleasure, followed by Giovanni Episcopo (1891) and Linnocente (1892), which earned him a reputation among leading European critics as a member of the Italian avant-garde. By the end of the nineteenth century, he turned his efforts to writing for the stage with such tragedies as La Gioconda (1899) and Francesca da Rimini (1902). Radicalized during the First World War, DAnnunzio used his experience as a decorated fighter pilot to spread his increasingly nationalist ideology. In 1919, he spearheaded the takeover of the city of Fiume, which had been ceded at the Paris Peace Conference. As the leader of the Italian Regency of Carnaro, he sought to establish an independent authoritarian state and to support other separatist movements around the globe, but was forced to surrender to Italy in December 1920. Despite his failure, DAnnunzio inspired Mussolinis National Fascist Party, which built on the violent tactics and corporatist system advocated by the poet and his allies. Toward the end of his life, DAnnunzio was named Prince of Montenevoso by King Victor Emmanuel III and served as the president of the Royal Academy of Italy.