THE LEOPARD

''Historical fiction at its best'' The Week

It is the spring of 1869 and there is talk of revolution in Sicily.

Fabrizio, the charismatic Prince of Salina, still rules over thousands of acres and hundreds of people, including his own numerous family, in mingled splendour and squalor.

But then comes Garibaldi''s landing on the Scicilian coast.

As Garibaldi''s forces press inland, the Prince must decide whether to resist the forces of change or come to terms with them.

''Every once in a while...one stumbles on a book or a writer, and the impact is like an indelible mark. Lampedusa''s The Leopard, his only novel, and a masterpiece, is such a work'' Independent

''The poetry of Lampedusa''s novel flows into the Sicilian countryside...a work of great artistry'' Peter Ackroyd

Vintage Quarterbound Classics: Bound to be beautiful