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The Leopard Giuseppe di Lampedusa 9780679731214 Books

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The Leopard Giuseppe di Lampedusa 9780679731214 Books

It's taken a long time to get around to The Leopard and I admit that it did take me a while to warm to the novel itself. I ended up thoroughly invested in the priviledged world of Prince Fabrizio of Salina who witnesses time and circumstances slowly erode those privileges away.

Interesting history and culture of Sicily in 1860, wonderful, languid style of delivery and a main character in The Prince who I came to appreciate and really admire over the course of the novel.

It's a novel that may not appeal to everyone, it did require a bit of patience but it certainly appealed to me.


Tags : The Leopard [Giuseppe di Lampedusa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A classic of modern fiction. Set in the 1860s, THE LEOPARD is the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution.,Giuseppe di Lampedusa,The Leopard,Pantheon,0679731210,Historical - General,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Historical,Fiction Literary,Literary,Modern fiction

The Leopard Giuseppe di Lampedusa 9780679731214 Books Reviews

This evocative book gave me a bit of a history lesson on the formation of modern Italy, a look at the Church as it functioned then and a vivid depiction of the way life was lived by the aristocracy, and the architecture, art and interiors of their homes. It also provided an unforgettable cast of characters. I look forward to watching the film. I rated it as Four Stars because of its somewhat choppy nature, with too much time concentrated on certain things and not enough on others.
The Leopard is one of the best books that I have read. It is considered a classic of the 20th century and like so many classics, it brings in a number of important issues (change vs. tradition, social capital, etc.) in a very readable story. I would highly recommend to anybody looking for a good book.

The book tells the tale of revolution and evolution in a conservative and "underdeveloped" society in Sicily. The protagonist, Prince Salina, is watching and, to some degree, participating in the unification of Italy and the incorporation of his Sicily in the greater kingdom in the 1860s. The Prince is very much a modern man (a noted astronomer in his spare time) and yet very much a member of his class and loyal to the traditions of his island. The unification of Italy very much puts those traditions to test and forces his family to bend as they stay true to what they believe.

Although not a book abut politics by any means, I was struck by how well this book outlines the importance of social capital and trust. Without a belief in modernity (a desire to change), development is not likely to happen. Or it is not likely to happen simply by bringing in modern inputs. In a place that has often been invaded and exploited by outsiders (like Sicily), it can be hard for outsiders to be trusted regardless of their intentions. Although this should be obvious, it is lesson that has to be learned over and over again.
Lampedusa’s novel The Leopard follows the life of Sicilian Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, around the time of Garibaldi, mainly 1860–1862. Garibaldi led a minor revolution which the novel portrays as a superficial non-event, except that it served to create an image of change. Don Fabrizio highlights the façade of change in the line “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change” (28).

The meaning rings true through the ages—create the illusion of change in government to placate the people in order to ensure the stability of the status quo. People are satisfied by the illusion and go about their business. In fact, the revolution works in favor of the Prince, as he is ultimately unfazed by it, even though a sort of republic replaces a kind of monarchy.

Much of the novel focuses on the personality of the Prince of Salina Don Fabrizio. The Prince’s symbol is the Leopard, hence the title. He is both smart and strong, and sees through the theater of revolution, with the help of his nephew Tancredi. The Prince is disgusted by other cowardly members of the aristocracy for fleeing Sicily.

The novel beautifully captures the noble, the picturesque, and the sordid sides of Sicilian culture and society. As it’s a time of transition, the contrast of old and new plays a major role. The old, cultivated Prince and his Peers live among “faded gold, pale as the hair of Nordic children, determinedly hiding its value under a muted use of precious material intended to let beauty be seen and cost forgotten. Here and there on the panels were knots of rococo flowers in a color so faint as to seem just an ephemeral pink reflected from the chandeliers.” This atmosphere of “solar hue, that variegation of gleam and shade, made Don Fabrizio’s heart ache…” (224).

Conversely, a philistine industrial millionaire in the same room “was standing beside him [the Prince]; his quick eyes were moving over the room, insensible to its charm, intent on its monetary value” (225). The aged beauty of past’s aesthetic subtlety is held in contrast against “the flashy gilding which decorators slap on nowadays” (224).

The contrast is seen in people as well. Gauche ill-mannered youth appeared unbearably giggly, “a populous colony of these creatures had appeared … he felt like a keeper in a zoo set to looking after a hundred female monkeys … loosing a stream of shrieks and grins” (222). By contrast, the few still well-bred young women in the same house remained exquisite—they “glided by like swans over a frog-filled pool” (222).

The nauseating foolishness of cheap revolutions and cheapening culture are countered and alleviated by death. As the death knell tolls for a recently deceased townsman, the Prince observes “Lucky person … while there’s death, there’s hope” (72).

Don Fabrizio makes a lot of observations throughout the novel. Ideas such as “better to bore oneself than to bore others” (233) speak to the culture, where even in light entertainment, one gives rather than receives. Other quotes contrast subtle intelligence versus blustery know-it-alls of the nouveau riche “a meal in common need not necessarily be all munching and grease stains”; “a conversation may well bear no resemblance to a dog fight; “to give precedence to a woman is a sign of strength and not of weakness”; and “sometimes more can be obtained by saying ‘I haven’t explained myself well’ instead of saying ‘I can’t understand a word’” (137).

After the post-revolution government was settled, they sent an emissary to invite the Prince to join the new Senate. After the emissary’s many attempts at persuasion, the Prince still declined. Senators, like all public officials, must be “good at masking their personal interests with vague public ideals … and clever enough to create illusions when needed” (181). The Prince leaves the government emissary with a parting comment, the famous quote from the novel, “We were the leopards, the lions, those who take our place will be jackals, hyenas” (185). He closes with, “and we’ll all go on thinking ourselves the salt of the earth” (185).

Ultimately, Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, changes his feeling towards the young, from disgust, to compassion. “Don Fabrizio felt his heart thaw; his disgust gave way to compassion for all these ephemeral beings out to enjoy the tiny ray of light granted them between two shades, before the cradle, after the last spasms. How could one inveigh against those sure to die?” (226).

The reader experiences the joys, disappointments, victories, and the nausea that bear upon the heart of the Prince—who constantly searches inside himself, questioning the meaning of everything happening around him.

The novel is based on true events in the history of Italy of the 1860s, and the characters are based on real individuals of that time. Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, is the great grandfather of the author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. That fact gives the novel more interest, combining a great novelistic narrative with fascinating history.

The final chapters nicely followup with “how everyone turned out”—a sort of epilogue with the Prince’s eventual death twenty-six years later in 1888, and how his daughters are getting along as late as 1910, therefore spilling over into the lifetime and memory of the author.

The novel is considered a great work of literary art. But just as important, as a reader in 2017, I recommend it as a very entertaining read, with profound observations that speak clearly to today, and with a wealth of universal insights about traveling through life.

- Robert Rose-Coutré ( author of Screenformation )
This is an historical novel that is considered by many to be the best novel written by a Sicilian author. The novel is set in Sicily in 1860 and onward into the twentieth century. The story revolves around one particular family whose patriarch is a prince. The author used his own family history as a foundation. The author died before the work was accepted for publication. The story is now widely celebrated.

I agree with another reviewer that, for me, the story started slowly. It took me awhile to warm up to the novel. However, by the end I enjoyed the novel, particularly the final two chapters. The second to last chapter about the death of one of the characters, I found very poignant; so much so that I reread it immediately, something I almost never do.

As an American, I had always felt that my knowledge of Italy between the fall of the Roman Empire and World War I, was poor. Some time ago I began to repair that by reading numerous histories of Italy, Sicily, and Mediterranean history. I did all of that prior to reading this fine novel. I am really glad that I did so. I think a lot of this story would have had less meaning to me without having done that. There are many historical references in this story that in the past would have meant little to me. I only mention that in case your background is like mine. I feel certain that some detailed knowledge of Italian history really added to my enjoyment of this book.

Thank You...
It's taken a long time to get around to The Leopard and I admit that it did take me a while to warm to the novel itself. I ended up thoroughly invested in the priviledged world of Prince Fabrizio of Salina who witnesses time and circumstances slowly erode those privileges away.

Interesting history and culture of Sicily in 1860, wonderful, languid style of delivery and a main character in The Prince who I came to appreciate and really admire over the course of the novel.

It's a novel that may not appeal to everyone, it did require a bit of patience but it certainly appealed to me.