Secret Book

Antonio GhislanzoniProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 137K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Libro segreto by Antonio GhislanzoniAuthor: Ghislanzoni, Antonio, 1824-1893,Language: Italian, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Oct 17, 2014

Editor's review

Libro segreto is an Italian-language work by the Italian writer Antonio Ghislanzoni, classified under Romance literatures in the language and literature category. Ghislanzoni is known for writing opera librettos, and his prose carries a distinct nineteenth-century Italian literary flavor: witty in language, precise in observation, and often recording experiences and thoughts in a highly personal style. As a public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg, the book offers convenient primary reading material for studying Italian literature and understanding the writing style of nineteenth-century literati. For readers with a foundation in Italian, it is a rewarding read for experiencing the original language style and period sensibility; those unfamiliar with Italian will need a translation or辅助 tools. Reading is best done slowly, attending to its rhetorical pleasures and historical context.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with Italian reading ability who enjoy nineteenth-century Italian literature
Literature students researching Ghislanzoni and the literary writing of his era
Advanced learners who wish to experience the style of Italian prose in the original
E-book readers collecting public-domain texts in Romance literatures

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Italian whatsoever who do not intend to use a translation
Casual readers expecting a tightly plotted novel or popular story
Beginning researchers who need a modern annotated edition or scholarly introduction

Reading tips

Learn about Ghislanzoni's life and creative background before reading the main text to better grasp its period references.
Italian learners can read closely paragraph by paragraph, excerpting typical sentence patterns to build a command of nineteenth-century written expression.
Look up cultural allusions or historical figures as you go, to avoid misreading due to missing background.
Read alongside other nineteenth-century Italian prose works to appreciate both the shared and individual features of the era's style.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What language is this book written in?

According to the information provided, the book is in Italian, by Antonio Ghislanzoni, classified under Romance literatures and published by Project Gutenberg. Readers need some ability to read Italian.

What is the author Ghislanzoni known for?

Antonio Ghislanzoni (1824–1893) was an Italian writer chiefly known for his opera librettos; he also wrote prose. This book is one of his Italian prose texts; for specifics, refer to the original.

Can I read this book without knowing Italian?

The book is in the original Italian, so reading it directly without Italian poses considerable difficulty. A dictionary or facing translation can help, but the linguistic pleasure of the original differs from a translation; the original should be primary and the translation auxiliary.

Is this book free?

Published by Project Gutenberg, this is a free public-domain e-book. The Italian electronic text is available on its platform, with specific formats as explained on the platform page.

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About the author

Antonio Ghislanzoni Author · Italian · 1824–1893

Antonio Ghislanzoni (1824–1893) was an Italian journalist, poet, novelist, and opera librettist, born in Lecco, Lombardy, and died in 1893. He studied medicine in his early years and worked as a baritone singer before editing periodicals such as L'Italia musicale and the Gazzetta musicale di Milano. He is best known for writing the libretto of Verdi's Aida and the revised libretto of La forza del destino, and produced some eighty-five librettos in all. He also wrote novels, including La contessa di Karolystria. Eleven of his works are held in this collection, among them Libro proibito, Libro segreto, Libro bizzarro, Libro allegro, Libro serio, and AbrakadabraL: Storia dell'avvenire, which display a varied style blending humor, satire, and imagination. His works are often classified under inspirational and personal-growth titles in Chinese book listings. Public information on his fiction and essays remains limited.