THE LEOPARD, A NOVEL BY GIUSEPPE TOMASI DI LAMPEDUSA (BOOK REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION)

In this post, I shall review The Leopard,  a historical novel by Italian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. From what I read, this fascinating novel had a rather difficult birth. The last in line of Sicilian princes, Tomasi has long contemplated writing a historical novel about his grandfather, another prince of Lampedusa.  However, Tomasi sank into depression after Lampedusa Palace was bombed in the Second World War. When Tomasi finally managed to write his novel, it was rejected by publishers. The Leopard was published after Tomasi's death, so unfortunately the author didn't live to see it. Nevertheless, when it was finally published in 1959, The Leopard was an instant success and became a bestseller. What is its legacy today? The Leopard remains one of the most important Italian modern novels. It is, without a doubt, a true classic. Set in Sicily during the events of the Italian Unification, this novel focuses on  the story of noble patriarch who is the real 'leopard' the title references.  I'll explain what that means in a little bit, but first let's examine the title- and my outfits.

As you can see, I even matched my outfits to this title of the book. I'm wearing a 'new to me' blue leopard dress to match the leopard in the title, even if in reality the animal in the original Italian title (il Gattopardo) is a serval and not a leopard.  I guess the translators thought leopard sounds better because I found this incorrect translation  present across the different editions, not just the English one. Well, at least leopard is a member of the same animal family. If you didn't know, serval is a wild cat native to Africa, a  much smaller member of the feline family than leopard but larger than a typical wild cat. I think the best way to describe serval would be as a medium sized wild cat. I believe it's also known as a jumping cat because they can jump quite high.  In the past, servals were kept as pets as Sicilian nobility. Being that Sicily is close to Africa, one can see how that could have happened. Servals are beautiful and clever animals for sure, so it is not strange someone wanted them for pets. 

U ovom ću postu podijeliti svoj književni ogled za povijesni roman Gepard,  talijanskog pisca Giuseppea Tomasija di Lampeduse. Koliko sam shvatila, ovaj fascinantni roman imao je prilično mukotrpan nastanak. Posljednji u nizu sicilijanskih prinčeva, Tomasi je dugo razmišljao o pisanju povijesnog romana o svom djedu, još jednom princu od Lampeduse. Međutim, Tomasi je potonuo u depresiju nakon što je palača Lampedusa bombardirana u Drugom svjetskom ratu. Kada je Tomasi konačno uspio napisati svoj roman, izdavači su ga odbili. Gepard je objavljen nakon Tomasijeve smrti, pa ga, nažalost, autor nije doživio vidjeti u obliku knjige. Ipak, kada je konačno objavljen 1959., Gepard je odmah postigao uspjeh i postao bestseler. Koja je njegova ostavština danas? Gepard ostaje jedan od najvažnijih talijanskih modernih romana. To je, bez sumnje, pravi klasik. Smješten na Siciliji tijekom događaja talijanskog ujedinjenja, ovaj se roman usredotočuje na priču o plemenitom patrijarhu koji je pravi 'gepard' u naslovu. Uskoro ću objasniti što to znači, ali prvo pogledajmo naslov - i moju kombinaciju.

Kao što vidite, čak sam i svoju odjeću uskladila s ovim naslovom knjige. Nosim 'novu za mene' plavu haljinu životinjskog uzorka koja odgovara geopardu (u engleskom prijevodu leopardu) iz naslova, čak i ako je u zapravo životinja u izvornom talijanskom naslovu (il Gattopardo) serval, a ne gepard. Pretpostavljam da su prevoditelji mislili da leopard ili gepard zvuči bolje jer sam naišla na ovaj netočan prijevod prisutan u različitim izdanjima, a ne samo u engleskom li hrvatskom. Pa, barem je član iste porodice životinja. Ako niste znali, serval je divlja mačka porijeklom iz Afrike, puno manji član obitelji mačaka od leoparda, ali veći od tipične divlje mačke. Mislim da bi najbolji način da se serval opiše kao divlja mačka srednje veličine. Vjerujem da je poznata i kao mačka koja skače (jumping cat na engleskom) jer zna skočiti dosta visoko. U prošlosti je sicilijansko plemstvo držalo servale kao kućne ljubimce. Kako je Sicilija blizu Afrike, jasno mi je kako se to moglo dogoditi. Servali su sigurno lijepe i pametne životinje pa nije čudno što bi ih netko želio za kućne ljubimce. 

OUTFIT NUMBER 1 

 BLUE AND WHITE LEOPARD DRESS PAIRED WITH AZURE STOCKINGS, A GREY BLAZER AND BROWN HEELED SANDALS

I actually haven't worn this outfit outside my home, this was 'stay at home' look. I like to dress up at home. Plus, I wanted to see how it would look. It's still not warm enough to wear something like this. I do like how this outfit looks so I must make a mental note of it. Another thing I like about it is that's sustainable. The blazer is second hand and so is the dress (passed down to me by a friend). The sandals are old and so worn they are definitely sustainable. I have worn these sandals more than 53 times and blogged about it (links above)!

Zapravo nisam nosila ovu kombinaciju vani, ovo je bila kombinacija za po doma. Volim se dotjerati čak i kada ne izlazim iz kuće. Osim toga, htjela sam vidjeti kako će mi stajati. Još uvijek nije dovoljno toplo da se nosi ovako nešto, ali sviđa mi se kako ova kombinacija izgleda  pa ću je morati zapamtiti. Još jedna stvar koja mi se sviđa kod ove kombinacije je da je održiva. Blazer je second hand kao i haljina (koju mi je dala prijateljica). Sandale su stare i toliko iznošene da su definitivno zaslužile naziv komada održive mode. Nosila sam ove sandale više od 53 puta i pisala o tome na blogu (poveznice iznad)!

A BIT OF  FASHION TALK BEFORE I GET ON WITH MY BOOK REVIEW....

OUTFIT NUMBER 2

BLUE  AND WHITE LEOPARD DRESS PAIRED WITH A WHITE BLAZER, A STRAW BAG, A PAIR OF CAMEL BOOTS AND A MAGENTA COAT

Moving onto the second outfit. This is how I styled this leopard dress in a transitional outfit. As you can see, I paired it with a vintage white blazer and magenta coat. I opted for a brown straw bag and leather boots because I feel like brown accessories match the blue and the white of this dress better than black ones would for example. I also plan to re-wear this combo with other fun accessories. I love this time of year when you wear summer dresses with boots and coats without looking odd. Transitional fashion is super fun. 

STREET ART IN MOSTAR

On unrelated note, how gorgeous is street art in Mostar? You can see more of it here, 2018 STREET ART MOSTAR , 2016 STREET ART , 2021 STREET ART and also here , here and here.

PRIJE NEGO ŠTO NASTAVIM S OGLEDOM KNJIGE

Prelazimo na drugu kombinaciju. Ovako sam nosila ovu leopard haljinu u prijelaznom outfitu. Kao što vidite, uparila sam ga s vintage bijelim blejzerom i magenta kaputom. Ovisno kako gledate na ovu nijansu ovaj kaput bismo mogli nazvati tamno rozim ili svijetlo ljubičastim. Odlučila sam se za smeđu slamnatu torbu i kožne čizme jer smatram da se smeđi modni dodaci bolje slažu s plavom i bijelom u ovoj haljini nego s crnom na primjer. Planiram ponovno nositi ovu kombinaciju s drugim modnim dodacima. Sviđa mi se ovo prijelazno doba godine kada možemo nositi ljetne haljine s čizmama i kaputima, a da ne izgledamo čudno. Tranzicijska moda je vrlo zabavna.

ULIČNA UMJETNOST U MOSTARU- ZAR NIJE PREDIVNA? Pronađite poveznice (linkove) u dijelu teksta na engleskom i pronađite druge objave koje će vam pokazati primjere ulične umjetnosti u Mostaru.

THE LEOPARD,  A NOVEL  DI GIUSEPPE TOMASI DI LAMPEDUSA

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What is the opening chapter of The Leopard like?

The novel's opening paragraphs are composed of rich, baroque descriptions fitting of a carefully decorated drawing-room where the noble Salina family recites its daily rosary. The style of writing appeared quite embellished and poetic to me. As a reader, that the first thing I noticed about the opening paragraphs: the musical quality of the words. The prose felt enchanting and had a rhythm of its own. I almost felt as I was listening to some exquisite music. It was beautiful to the point of being distracting, I had to force myself to pay more attention to what was going on and less attention to the words themselves. So, what happens in the opening chapter?  After the  daily rosary recitation is over, the Salina family patriarch prince Fabrizio Salina wanders out into his equally exquisite garden, where the strong smells of herbs and foliage bring memories of a tragically killed young  Neapolitan soldier. The appearance of the dead young soldier is something that Prince Salina has never really managed to get out from his mind. This young soldier who in his last moments, sought a sanctuary in the garden and died there.  Haunted by this memory, the Prince takes some comfort in the joyful activities of  his dog, Bendico. Another thing on the prince's mind is his nephew, Tancredi Falconeri.

It can be argued that the opening chapter has a bit of foreshadowing. Beauty is contrasted with death. The opening chapter introduces the reader to the setting and to the most of principal characters: prince Fabrizio Salina, his nephew . We get to know not only the different members of Salina family but we learn a bit about their family dynamics as well. In the novel’s opening chapter, the author shares with us a bit of Saline's family history and introduces us to what will become the novel's plot- the story of Unification of Italy, the lessening of Lapedusa's family prestige and Tacredi's rise to power.

What is this novel about?

While the lives of Salina family members are at the centre of this book, it could be argued that the novel focuses mostly on Prince Don Fabrizio, the last 'leopard'. As the novel progresses, we see the imperfect but noble protagonist coming to terms with the changes in the world. Moreover, Fabrizio's loving relationship with his nephew Tacredi who symbolizes the new world is an important part of this novel. Early in the novel, there is an indication of a possible love triangle between Fabrizio's nephew Tacredi, Fabrizio's daughter Concetta and young Angelica (a daughter of a rich man). The possible relationship between Tacredi and Concetta is dismissed early on by the girl's father, who considers Concetta too passive to be a good wife to the ambitious Tacredi. So, there is a love story in this. However, The Leopard is not a classical love story. It is more focused on social and political changes occurring during the time of the Risorgimento (the Unification of Italy).

Who is the protagonist of The Leopard?

The titular leopard and the patriarch of the Salina's family. He's an intellectual who loves mathematics, an educated man with fine manners, a nobleman fom an ancient family whose prestige is coming to an end. There's a melancholic tone to the descriptions of this man who is not an idealist, a man who keeps his eyes open and tries to understand the new world, but at the same time keeps his sense of identity. The noble Fabrizio is the driving force behind this novel and his character is examined in detail. Moreover, Prince Fabrizio's self- reflections and meditations are an important part of the novel.

“As always the thought of his own death calmed him as much as that of others disturbed him: was it perhaps because, when all was said and done, his own death would in the first place mean that of the whole world?”

“Noi fummo i Gattopardi, i Leoni; quelli che ci sostituiranno saranno gli sciacalletti, le iene; e tutti quanti gattopardi, sciacalli e pecore, continueremo a crederci il sale della terra."

"We were the Leopards, the Lions; those who'll take our place will be little jackals, hyenas; and the whole lot of us, Leopards, jackals, and sheep, we'll all go on thinking ourselves the salt of the earth."  The Leopard

What is the narrative structure and the plot of the novel like?  The story is told from the third person point of view, but the emphasis is on don Fabrizio. Besides the main plot, there are also subplots, for example the one where the family's priest goes to visit his sister and has to resolve a family crisis. Despite its lyrical tone, the novel is at times quite eventful. It moves on quickly at times but it does so by leaving some episodes out. At times, all we see are little episodes and glimpses into the life of the Salina's family. The plot is mostly linear (with one or two digressions), but there are several time jumps in this novel.  The author focused on what he considered the most eventful or meaningful times in the story of Salina family. Considering that it is a historical novel, The Leopard is not as long as it might be expected. 

Are there autobiographical and biographical elements to the Leopard? Yes, there are. The Salina family has a serval on their coat of arms and so does the real Lampedusa family. To what extent did the author drew on his family's history, it is hard to tell. It is worth noting that  many characters were founded on real people. The protagonist, in particular, bears a strong similarity to Tomasi's grandfather. While Tomasi the writer was considered the last prince of Lampedusa, we can see that in turn considered his grandfather the last real 'leopard' and a true prince.

“...waking at very early dawn amid all that sweat and stink, he had found himself comparing this ghastly journey with his own life, which had first moved over smiling level ground, then clambered up rocky mountains, slid over threatening passes, to emerge eventually into a landscape of interminable undulations, all of the same color, all bare as despair. These early morning fantasies were the very worst that could happen to a man of middle age; and although the Prince knew that they would vanish with the day's activities, he suffered acutely all the same, as he was used enough to them by now to realize that deep inside him they left a sediment of grief which, accumulating day by day, would in the end be the real cause of his death.”

O čemu govori ovaj roman?

 Iako su životi članova obitelji Salina u središtu ove knjige, moglo bi se tvrditi kako se roman uglavnom fokusira na princa Don Fabrizija, posljednjeg 'geparda'. Kako roman napreduje, vidimo nesavršenog, ali plemenitog protagonista kako se pomiruje s promjenama u svijetu. Štoviše, Fabriziov odnos s njegovim nećakom Tacredijem koji simbolizira novi svijet važan je dio ovog romana, odnos pun ljubavi i poštovanja. Na početku romana postoji naznaka mogućeg ljubavnog trokuta između Fabrizijeva nećaka Tacredija, Fabrizijove kćeri Concette i mlade Angelice (kći bogataša). Moguću vezu između Tacredija i Concette rano je odbacio djevojčin otac, koji Concettu smatra previše pasivnom da bi bila dobra supruga ambicioznom Tacrediju. Dakle, u ovome romanu je naznaka ljubavne priče. Međutim, Leopard nije klasična ljubavna priča. Više je usredotočen na društvene i političke promjene koje su se dogodile tijekom Risorgimenta (Ujedinjenja Italije).

Tko je protagonist Geparda?

Titularni leopard i patrijarh obitelji Salina. On je intelektualac koji voli matematiku, obrazovan čovjek s finim manirama, plemić iz drevne obitelji čijem se prestižu bliži kraj. Ima melankoličan ton u opisima ovog čovjeka koji nije idealist, čovjeka koji drži otvorene oči i pokušava razumjeti novi svijet, ali u isto vrijeme zadržava svoj osjećaj identiteta. Plemeniti Fabrizio pokretačka je snaga ovog romana i njegov je lik detaljno istražen. Štoviše, samopromišljanja i meditacije princa Fabrizija važan su dio romana.

Kakva je pripovjedna struktura i radnja romana? Roman je pisan u trećem licu, ali  naglasak je na don Fabriziju. Kao čitatelji imamo uvid i u njegove misli i dijaloge/monologe u mjeri da imamo osjećaj da nam se obraća. Osim glavne radnje, tu su i manje podradnje i zapleti, primjerice onaj u kojem obiteljski svećenik odlazi u posjet sestri i mora riješiti obiteljsku krizu. Unatoč svom lirskom tonu, roman je na trenutke prilično bogat događajima. Ponekad se brzo kreće, ali to čini tako da neke epizode izostavi. Ponekad sve što vidimo su male epizode i uvid u život Salina obitelji. Radnja je uglavnom linearna (s jednom ili dvije digresije), ali u ovom romanu ima također i nekoliko vremenskih skokova. Autor se usredotočio na ono što je smatrao najzanimljivijim ili najsadržajnijim trenucima u priči o obitelji Salina. Za roman povijesne tematike, Gepard je zapravo skoro pa kratak. 

Ima li Leoparda autobiografskih i biografskih elemenata? Da, postoje. Obitelj Salina na svom grbu ima servala, a isto tako i prava obitelj Lampedusa. Točno u kojoj se mjeri autor oslanjao na povijest svoje obitelji, teško je reći ali sigurno u većoj mjeri. Vrijedi napomenuti da su mnogi likovi utemeljeni na stvarnim ljudima. Protagonist, posebno, ima snažnu sličnost s Tomasijevim djedom. Dok je pisac Tomasi smatran posljednjim princom Lampeduse, možemo vidjeti da je zauzvrat svog djeda smatrao posljednjim pravim 'leopardom' i pravim princom.

What role does Sicily play in this novel?

Sicily is at the core of this novel, it is where The Leopard takes place but also from where this novel draws its strength. In a way, this not a novel about one noble Sicilian family but about all of Sicilian families, rich or poor. A novel about this magical, mysterious and fascinating land that was conquered but that has never yielded, that kept its mystery and its ancient spirit. I found Fabrizio's monologue about Sicily, the one he gives in explanation of why he is rejecting the position of a senator, to be one of the most touching things I have ever read. 

Kakvu ulogu Sicilija ima u ovom romanu?

Sicilija je srž ovog romana, tu se ne sam odvija radnja Geparda, nego iz nje ovaj roman i crpi snagu. Na neki način, ovo nije roman o jednoj plemićkoj sicilijanskoj obitelji, već o svim sicilijanskim obiteljima, bogatim ili siromašnim. Roman o ovoj čarobnoj, tajanstvenoj i fascinantnoj zemlji koja je osvojena, ali nikada nije popustila, koja je zadržala svoj misterij i svoj drevni duh. Fabrizio monolog o Siciliji, onaj koji izriče objašnjavajući zašto odbija mjesto senatora, među najdirljivijim tekstovima koje sam pročitala.

“For over twenty-five centuries we’ve been bearing the weight of superb and heterogeneous civilizations, all from outside, none made by ourselves, none that we could call our own. This violence of landscape, this cruelty of climate, this continual tension in everything, and even these monuments of the past, magnificent yet incomprehensible because not built by us and yet standing round us like lovely mute ghosts; all those rulers who landed by main force from every direction who were at once obeyed, soon detested, and always misunderstood, their only expressions works of art we couldn't understand and taxes which we understood only too well and which they spent elsewhere: all these things have formed our character, which is thus conditioned by events outside our control as well as by a terrifying insularity of mind.” from The Leopard, a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Is that any other novel I could compare to The Leopard and that I could recommend? 

Yes, there are other novels I could compare to this one. Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace is similar in the sense that is a family epic set in troubled times. Norwegian novel Beyond Sing the Woods by Trygve Gulbranssen and Italian novel The Betrothed (I promesi sposi) by Manzoni are the two other family sagas that come to my mind immediately. 

Ima li drugih romana koje bi mogla usporediti s Gepardom?  Od hrvatskih romana, odmah mi pada na um Posljednji Stipančići Vjenceslava Novaka. Od stranih autora preporučila bi Rat i Mir Lava Tolstoya jer se također radi o obiteljskoj sagi smještenoj u teškim vremenima koja obiluje meditativnim djelovima. Norveški roman I vječno pjevaju šume, prvi u poznatoj trilogiji Trygve Gulbransena  te Manzonijev talijanski klasik Zaručnici također bi bile moje preporuke. 

OTHER SIMILAR BOOKS THAT YOU MIGHT ENJOY READING /DRUGE SLIČNE KNJIGE KOJE BI VAM SE MOGLE SVIDJETI 

Bellow are links to some other modern, historical and/or family centered novels I would recommend reading: 

THE KITE RUNNER BY KHALED HOSSEINI 

LISTEN AND OBSERVE, LATICE!, AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL BOOK BY LATICA IVANIŠEVIĆ

THE THREE SISTERS, A PLAY BY BY ANTON CHEKHOV 

FOUR MEETINGS,  A SHORT STORY  BY HENRY JAMES

 OF LOVE AND SHADOWS, A NOVEL BY ISABEL ALLENDE 

ABSALOM, ABSALOM, A  NOVEL BY WILLIAM FAULKNER 

SPRING TORRENTS, A NOVEL BY IVAN TURGENEV

PAVILION OF WOMEN, A NOVEL BY PEARL S. BUCK

THE TIME OF INDIFFERENCE, ALBERTO MORAVIA (GLI INDIFFERENTI IN ORIGINAL)

EAST WEST, A NOVEL  BY SALMAN RUSHDIE

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, A NOVEL BY EDITH WHARTON

A BOOK ABOUT TARA, A NOVEL BY ZDENKO LEŠIČ

Thank you for reading and visiting. Have a lovely day!

Hvala na čitanju i posjeti. Želim vam ugodan dan!