Agony - De Roberto, Federico

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Résumé :
The beautiful young Countess Fiorenza d'Arda has died dramatically at her villa near Lake Geneva. Judge Fran?ois Ferpierre, the senior magistrate assigned to Lausanne's central court, arrives to investigate whether it was murder or suicide. In either case, who is responsible? A diverse set of characters - including two Russian anarchists and a melancholy young poet, each struggling with their own complex moral, political and artistic dilemmas - all become suspects. Ferpierre works on shifting ground as each new revelation uncovers another aspect of the case, another quandary shedding new light on intertwining motivations. Agony is the first English-language translation of Federico De Roberto's Spasimo, a psychological-detective novel. Here, for the first time, a Sicilian author has written a detective procedural. De Roberto, a master of verismo, is celebrated today for his acute political, social, and psychological insights. His work was held in high esteem by Leonardo Sciascia, who deemed I Vicer? the greatest Italian novel after I promessi sposi....

Biographie:
Federico De Roberto was born in Naples in 1861 and educated at the University of Catania. He first became a literary critic for Corriere della Sera in Milan, then he turned from criticism to write several classic works, including L'Illusione, I Vicer?, and L'Imperio, a trilogy that forms the saga of the noble Uzeda family of Catania set against the Risorgimento. His considerable output includes collections of short stories, letters, and verse. During his lifetime, success largely eluded his efforts, but with the posthumous publication in 1958 of Lampedusa's Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), De Roberto's work was reassessed, and he now holds a prominent place in the canon of Italian literature....

Sommaire:
The beautiful young Countess Fiorenza d'Arda has died dramatically at her villa near Lake Geneva. Judge Fran?ois Ferpierre, the senior magistrate assigned to Lausanne's central court, arrives to investigate whether it was murder or suicide. In either case, who is responsible? A diverse set of characters - including two Russian anarchists and a melancholy young poet, each struggling with their own complex moral, political and artistic dilemmas - all become suspects. Ferpierre works on shifting ground as each new revelation uncovers another aspect of the case, another quandary shedding new light on intertwining motivations. Agony is the first English-language translation of Federico De Roberto's Spasimo, a psychological-detective novel. Here, for the first time, a Sicilian author has written a detective procedural. De Roberto, a master of verismo, is celebrated today for his acute political, social, and psychological insights. His work was held in high esteem by Leonardo Sciascia, who deemed I Vicer? the greatest Italian novel after I promessi sposi....