Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1896–1957)

The Leopard is the symbol of the Salina family in Sicily. The story depicts the life of Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina mainly in 1860-61 at the time when Garibaldi invades Sicily and then Naples, adding the last province in the unification of Italy. The Prince represents the old ruling system and the story follows his manipulations and adjustments to the early forming of a republic. His nephew Tancredi represents the new generation. The language and context is complex and dense, requiring time to get into the flow. Interesting.… (more)

I chose to read 'The Leopard' as I'd heard that it was a favourite of my late Granny. Now I understand why. It is an exquisitely written novel on the subject of time and its passage. The setting is Sicily, the central characters a noble family in decline. The measured pace of the book took me a chapter or so to get used to, but once I did I found the writing profound and incredibly beautiful. I was expecting greater engagement with the political events of the time, however these remained peripheral. This strengthened the novel's power, in my view, as it demonstrated the extent to which even those who have long been powerful are eventually left behind by events. The patriarch of family is an intelligent and sensitive man who is fully aware of and preoccupied by this gradual marginalisation. It is his perspective; proud, ambivalent, and complex; that much of the book follows.

To pick out a section of particular note, chapter six is simply stunning. In it, the Prince of Salina contemplates mortality and change whilst alternately observing and engaging with a sumptuous ball. Perhaps my favourite sentence from the book is found within this chapter: 'Nothing could be decently hated except eternity.' I absolutely love that line. It takes a writer of rare genius to conjure a setting as superficial as a ball and from it bring out such profound commentary on human mortality. I should also note, though, that the novel isn't constantly solemn; perhaps I concentrate on this aspect due to my state of mind whilst reading it. There is also much wit and sly humour to be found, as well as a very endearing dog called Benedico.… (more)

"Everything must change so that everything may stay the same"

This is the way the young Prince of Salina justifies to his father his will to collaborate with the Savoia monarchy, the Italian unifiers who are seen by Sicilian landlord nobles as usurpers of their power. This phrase has become famous as a synthesis of the reaction of Sicilian landlord nobility culture to the Unification of Italy under the Northern Italy's Savoia family.
Stimulated by a discussion with another reader, I decided to post this brief comment on this very important novel, published posthumous in 1958.
Italy unification and the "Southern Issues" are a complicated matter, and this novel gives an enlighting insight on the way the powers-that-be in XIX Century Sicily managed to stay at their place while compromising with the newcomers. Please be reminded that these landlords were the ones who encouraged and used mafia bands to counteract farmers' revolts, so empowering them and legitimating them. The new State was responsible too, abandoning the South to landlords and mafia as long as its economy was exploitable by Italian economy, as well as by its former rulers. But this is another story, and it will have to be told another time.
This is only one aspect of this multi-faceted, magnificent piece of narrative. I write twenty years after my last reading, which means that I am probably missing many of the aspects I should discuss. Let's say this review is a teaser for comments.
I only would like to add a little prayer. Please spare me comments on sexism and mysoginy. It's a historical novel about Sicilian noble people in the XIX Century. No country for feminism out there at that time (the condition of the woman in Southern Italy is still a matter of vivacious debate, guess what it was like 150 years ago). So, if you don't like Prince of Salina's attitude about women, I'll confess you something: I don't, either. Do you think the author did? Well. I would not say so. But there is something called historic frame, and this is what this novel is all about. He had never seen his wife's navel, he went to brothels, he was sexist. Welcome to the real world.

If you want a powerful woman's character in Sicilian history, and based on a real person, read [b:La rivoluzione della luna|17564412|La rivoluzione della luna|Andrea Camilleri|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362748582s/17564412.jpg|24498148]. Hilarious and reliable. Not as huge a masterpiece as Il Gattopardo, but very enjoyable, by the Sicilian author of Commissar Salvo Montalbano stories.… (more)