Three Italian Chronicles: Stories (New Directions Revived Modern Classics) - Softcover

Stendhal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811211509 ISBN 13: 9780811211505

Publisher: New Directions, 1991

Synopsis

Italian passion––”the passion that seeks its own satisfaction, and not to give one’s neighbor an enhanced idea of oneself”––is the life-blood of Stendhal’s Three Italian Chronicles. Gathered here are three long-out-of-print stories animated by life-and-death romances and sensational crimes. “The Cenci” and “The Abbess of Castro,” set in a brazen Renaissance, are the author’s versions of two antique chronicles he discovered in Italian libraries: “Vanina Vanini” is a Roman tale of the 1820s. All three give full rein to that special egoism of unswerving, passionate purpose Stendhal so adored in Napoleon and celebrated in all his heroes and heroines. Fused to that passion is his style, which imperturbably stage-manages urgent speech and violent intrigue. On this gemlike scale, his style as it charms and stings seems particularly vivid: for admirers of his novels, each of these stories gleams like an enameled miniature executed by a great master.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Italian passion--the passion that seeks its own satisfaction, and not to give one's neighbor an enhanced idea of oneself--is the life-blood of Stendhal's Three Italian Chronicles.

About the Author:

Born Marie-Henri Beyle, Stendahl (1783–1842) was a novelist known for his early embracement of realism and the psychological complexity of his characters. Brought up by an unsophisticated father in provincial France after the untimely death of his mother, he was a dandy obsessed with romantic conquest. Later serving as an administrator in Napoleon’s army, Beyle was present during the 1812 invasion of Russia. Settling in Milan in 1814, Beyle wrote several novels under the pen name Stendahl, including The Charterhouse of Parma, reputedly written in fifty-two days. He wrote some of his best work in his later years, despite crippling health problems related to the treatment of his syphilis. Little appreciated in his time, Stendahl’s novelsThe Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma are now regarded as classics.

About this edition

• Publisher: New Directions
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0811211509
• ISBN 13: 9780811211505
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 195