Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s life was short and filled with sadness and hardship. Born in Sicily in 1896, the aristocrat was forced to flee his hometown of Palermo, when Mussolini and the Fascists rose to power in the early 1930s. All of his family possessions that he'd left behind during his exile in Florence were seized or destroyed by the new government. Despite his unhappiness with Mussolini’s regime, Lampedusa became an ardent monarchist, though he never fully integrated himself into Florentine society.

Though he spent much of his life in self-imposed exile, Lampedusa was one of the most beloved and acclaimed literary figures in 20th-century Italian literature. His most popular work, The Leopard (Il Gattopardo in Italian), is an historical novel set during the Italian unification, and is widely regarded as one of the most important works of Italian literature. The novel follows the fortunes of a Sicilian prince, Don Fabrizio de Salina, and charts the decline of the old Italian aristocracy in the tumultuous 19th-century aftermath of Risorgimento.

The book was critically acclaimed upon its publication in 1958 and eventually became an Academy Award-winning feature film. Though the book was an immediate success, the author never saw much financial reward from it, as he died shortly after the book’s publication in 1957.

Although he wrote only two books in his lifetime, Lampedusa was considered by some to have been one of the most influential writers of the 19th century. His works are known for their exploration of the psychological depths of his characters, and for their sharp observations of his times. He was known for his meticulous writing style, which made his works both technically impressive and emotionally compelling.

In addition to The Leopard, Lampedusa wrote a second novel in his lifetime, a work titled Il Giornale di Notizie (The News Journal). This novel, though unfinished, is widely considered to have been the prototype for The Leopard. It was published in a single volume in 1965.

Although Lampedusa’s life was short, his impact is still felt today. His works continue to be widely read and appreciated, and he is generally remembered as one of Italy's most important modern authors. He has been credited with introducing a new realism to Italian literature and inspiring an entire generation of authors. As a result, he remains an influential figure in Italian literature and is widely considered to be one of the greats of the Italian literary canon.