1930s Vintage The Flame of Life, by Gabriele D’Annunzio, Published for the Modern Library

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The Flame of Life
by Gabriele D’Annunzio
That Book. .. that perverse Book -- Eleanora Dusa
First published in Italian … Read more The Flame of Life
by Gabriele D’Annunzio
That Book. .. that perverse Book -- Eleanora Dusa
First published in Italian in 1900, The Flame is one of the most sensational works of the fin-de-siecle and is justifiably notorious due to its being a thinly-veiled account of the author's tempestuous affair with the legendary actress, Eleanora Dusa. A contemporary critic called it the most swinish novel ever written. Sarah Bernhardt returned her presentation copy to the author unopened. Writing in a florid style reminiscent of Henry James and Walter Pater, D'Annunzio uses turn-of-the-century Venice as a backdrop in this study of the passionate struggle of two gifted artists for supremacy in love and art, and of the difference between male and female fantasy. After almost a century of neglect, D'Annunzio's insight into the nature of passion and the power of language remains disturbingly intact.

Green leather binding w/gold leaf lettering
Spine is tight
The pages are excellent but yellowing.

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