The Art of Joy

A Novel

Fiction & Literature, Historical, Literary
Cover of the book The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Goliarda Sapienza ISBN: 9780374708948
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: July 30, 2013
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Goliarda Sapienza
ISBN: 9780374708948
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: July 30, 2013
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

The tumultuous twentieth century, told through the life of a single extraordinary woman

Rejected by a series of publishers, abandoned in a chest for twenty years, Goliarda Sapienza's masterpiece, The Art of Joy, survived a turbulent path to publication. It wasn't until 2005, when it was released in France, that this novel received the recognition it deserves. At last, Sapienza's remarkable book is available in English, in a brilliant translation by Anne Milano Appel and with an illuminating introduction by Angelo Pellegrino.
The Art of Joy centers on Modesta, a Sicilian woman born on January 1, 1900, whose strength and character are an affront to conventional morality. Impoverished as a child, Modesta believes she is destined for a better life. She is able, through grace and intelligence, to secure marriage to an aristocrat—without compromising her own deeply felt values. Friend, mother, lover—Modesta revels in upsetting the rules of her fascist, patriarchal society.
This is the history of the twentieth century, transfigured by the perspective of one extraordinary woman. Sapienza, an intriguing figure in her own right—her father homeschooled her so she wouldn't be exposed to fascist influences—was a respected actress and writer who drew on her own struggles to craft this powerful epic. A fictionalized memoir, a book of romance and adventure, a feminist text, a bildungsroman—this novel is ultimately undefinable but deeply necessary; its genius will leave readers breathless.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The tumultuous twentieth century, told through the life of a single extraordinary woman

Rejected by a series of publishers, abandoned in a chest for twenty years, Goliarda Sapienza's masterpiece, The Art of Joy, survived a turbulent path to publication. It wasn't until 2005, when it was released in France, that this novel received the recognition it deserves. At last, Sapienza's remarkable book is available in English, in a brilliant translation by Anne Milano Appel and with an illuminating introduction by Angelo Pellegrino.
The Art of Joy centers on Modesta, a Sicilian woman born on January 1, 1900, whose strength and character are an affront to conventional morality. Impoverished as a child, Modesta believes she is destined for a better life. She is able, through grace and intelligence, to secure marriage to an aristocrat—without compromising her own deeply felt values. Friend, mother, lover—Modesta revels in upsetting the rules of her fascist, patriarchal society.
This is the history of the twentieth century, transfigured by the perspective of one extraordinary woman. Sapienza, an intriguing figure in her own right—her father homeschooled her so she wouldn't be exposed to fascist influences—was a respected actress and writer who drew on her own struggles to craft this powerful epic. A fictionalized memoir, a book of romance and adventure, a feminist text, a bildungsroman—this novel is ultimately undefinable but deeply necessary; its genius will leave readers breathless.

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book 03: A Novel by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book The New Man by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book Romanian Notebook by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book Mindware by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book The Crime and the Silence by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book The Whisper by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book 10:04: A Novel by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book With a Name like Love by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book Peep and Egg: I'm Not Hatching by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book Underground by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book Where Have You Been? by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book Timelock by Goliarda Sapienza
Cover of the book Security by Goliarda Sapienza
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy