Il Gattopardo /The Leopard
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
A classic of Italian Literature
- Presented IN ENGLISH -
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In our last Circolo letterario (CELEBRATE SICILY!, on January 19), we discussed the history of XVIII-XIX century Sicily as portrayed by Stefania Auci, a contemporary Italian writer (I leoni di Sicilia, 2019).
In this new Circolo letterario, you’ll be introduced to Il gattopardo (Feltrinelli 1958; The Leopard, Collins and Pantheon 1960), the most famous historical novel set in 1800 Sicily. Its author, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa wrote only this book and died in 1957 before seeing it published.
Il gattopardo won the literary award Premio Strega in 1959. It was widely appreciated by literary critics and by readers and was translated into many languages.
The 1963 film adaptation of the novel by the director Luchino Visconti won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Described by many as one of the masterpieces of Italian literature, Il gattopardo recounts the life of the Prince Fabrizio Salina – the impersonation of the author’s great-grandfather - who witnessed the strife between the upper classes and the newly-rich merchants, the Republicans and the monarchists, and the defenders of the Bourbons and the supporters of the reign of the Piedmonts’ Vittorio Emanuele. We will discuss the historical and literary background necessary to fully appreciate this unique novel and watch together some of the salient sections of the movie.
A book club edition of the Circolo letterario is planned on Saturday May 20th for those who will read this book in Italian or in English to discuss and share impressions from their reading in an informal and laid-back atmosphere. We highly encourage you to attend the presentation on April 15th before reading the book and participating to the book club edition.
Pieranna Garavaso is native Italian and came to the US to earn a PhD in Philosophy (at the U of Nebraska Lincoln). She taught Philosophy at the University of Minnesota Morris for 34 years. She was awarded the UMN Morris Alumni Association Teaching Award (2003), the Horace T. Morse Alumni Association Undergraduate Teaching Award (2004) and the UMN Morris Faculty Research Award (2017). Her areas of research include History of Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy of Mathematics, and Feminist Philosophies. She has published articles in Italian and English and authored, co-authored or edited several books; the last collection she has edited is the Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Feminism (2018). As Emerita/retired she plans to devote more time to reading and discussing Italian literature.
In 2021, ICC was appointed Presidio Letterario of the Società Dante Alighieri (DA), one of the most important Italian institutions for the promotion and appreciation of Italian language and culture since 1889. ICC is now part of a network of cultural centers in Italy and abroad promoting events and initiatives related to Italian literature. Since 2009 DA has officially been part of the jury of Premio Strega, the most prestigious Italian literary award.
Minimum number of participants: 8
Maximum number of participants: 25
All events must be cancelled 72 hours in advance to receive a refund, less administrative fee.
