Pleasure (Il Piacere) was D’Annunzio’s first novel (1889). The world it depicts is one of aristocratic decadence in late nineteenth century Rome. Andrea Sperelli, the central character of the novel and usually identified as D’Annunzio’s alter-ego, is a man of hyper-refined taste whose life revolv...
I had been behind the windows, for a long time. I couldn’t bring myself to leave. All that whiteness was attracting me . . . I saw the carriage pass by slowly in the snow. I felt that it was you, before I saw you throwing the roses. No words can ever explain to you the tenderness of my tears. I c...