The Child of Pleasure, by Gabriele d’Annunzio
Gabriele D’Annunzio was a man of his time. Son of the mayor of Pescara, he knew from a young age that he was destined for greatness. A compulsive writer, d’Annunzio first came to national prominence at the age of seventeen when, following the publication of his second book of poetry, he faked his own death as a publicity stunt. During the First World War a series of daring military exploits earned him a fearsome reputation as a national war hero, and his political career eventually culminated in his leading a small army to capture the city of Fiume and annex it from Austria-Hungary resulting in a very short lived independent city-state and a national embarrassment for Italy.
The Child of Pleasure is the story of Andrea Sperelli, a young dandy who has several illicit love affairs affairs. Full of sexual tension, obsession, and duels. Inspired by d’Annunzio’s real life it caused a scandal when it was first released, and is now considered a classic of the Italian Decadent movement.
This edition was translated by Georgina Harding in 1898.
Sold outTable of Contents
The Child of Pleasure – Gabriele d’Annunzio
Book I
I — Andrea Sperelli dined regularly…
II — The gray deluge of democratic mud…
III — The next day the public sale-room…
IV — At the Casa Doria, speaking of one thing…
V — Elena left the Farnese palace…
VI — Thus began for them a bliss..
VII — The Campagna stretched away before them…
VIII — Their final farewells au grand air…
IX — Donna Ippolita Albonico had a.…
X — At the Palazzo Giustiniani that evening…
Book II
XI — Convalescence is a purification, a new birth…
XII — Schifanoja was situated on the heights…
XIII — On the following Wednesday…
XIV — ‘Let down a rope of your hair to me…’
XV — Maria Ferrès had always remained faithful…
Book III
XVI — Two or three days after the departure…
XVII — The year was dying gracefully…
XVIII — So she had come, she had come!
XIX — He waited in vain during the days that followed..
XX — At a late hour that same evening…
Book IV
XXI — ‘Maria, grant me this one moment…’
XXII — The next day, she arrived at…
XXIII — The next day, according to…
XXIV — In the days that followed…
XXV — I saw—I guessed—I had been at the window…
XXVI — Lord Heathfield opened the great…
XXVII — On the morning of the 20th of May…
XXVIII — It wanted but a few days now to their…
XXIX — Two days after this, Andrea…
XXX — At ten o’clock in the morning of June 20th