The Scarlet City
A Novel of 16th Century Italy
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Although he bears one of the most notorious names in all of Italy, Giovanni Borgia doesn't know his parentage. Hella Haasse uses the Italian Wars as a backdrop for Giovanni's agonizing quest for his identity. Set against the backdrop of the Italian wars, this novel seeks to unravel the puzzle of Giovanni Borgia's true identity. Machiavelli, Vittoria Colonna, Michelangelo, the Borgias and the Medici are some of the characters who inhabit the secretive and dangerous world of sixteenth century Rome.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This frustrating historical novel, first published in Holland in 1952, opaquely treats the early 16th century: the machinations of papal and imperial forces have divided all of Italy into scheming factions, and mercenary soldiers gather to sack Rome. Haasse ( In a Dark Wood Wandering ) chooses a nonlinear approach: various historical figures alternately narrate a series of complicated events. A bastard bearing the Borgia name diarizes his fruitless search for the identity of his parents; Niccolo Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini exchange letters; among the other literati heard from are Pietro Aretino and Vittoria Colonna. This structure bleeds the narrative of its intrinsic drama: critical episodes invariably take place offstage, characters enter and exit abruptly, and the single-minded concerns of the individual protagonists overshadow the central action. Those who don't know much about this thorny patch of history will be thoroughly adrift; on the other hand, anyone familiar with even a snippet of the works of the figures incarnated here will chafe at Haasse's shallow and simplistic interpretations. 50,000 first printing; BOMC and History Book Club alternates.
