Novel
Confessions of an Italian
Le confessioni d'un italiano
Ippolito Nievo · 1867
Opening lines
Io nacqui veneziano ai 18 ottobre del 1775, giorno dell’Evangelista Luca; e morrò per la grazia di Dio italiano quando lo vorrà quella Provvidenza che governa misteriosamente il mondo.
I was born a Venetian on 18 October 1775, the day of Luke the Evangelist; and I shall die, by the grace of God, an Italian, whenever that Providence which mysteriously governs the world shall will it.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from it.wikisource.org
Synopsis
In the evening of his life, Carlo Altoviti recounts his memories from childhood onwards. A poor relation brought up in the castle of Fratta, in Friuli, and relegated to the kitchen, he grows up beside la Pisana, the castellan's daughter, whom he will love passionately. His story is intertwined with that of Italy: the fall of Venice, the Napoleonic invasion, the sister republics, Austrian rule and the first struggles for unity.
Context
The novel was written from December 1857 to August 1858. It appeared only in 1867, six years after the author's death, with Le Monnier, and under a different title, “Confessions d'un octogénaire”. It exists in French under the title “Confessions d'un Italien”, published by Fayard in 2006; in English, Frederika Randall produced the first complete translation in 2014, “Confessions of an Italian”, published by Penguin.
Who it is for
A long novel in the first person, in which the old man comments on his own youth, to be read without haste.
Prizes and reception
According to Fayard, this novel of education with picaresque accents has enjoyed lasting success in Italy.