Il secolo che muore, vol. III

In this third volume the narrator steps out of the conventional stage, confessing a willingness to build the drama almost single‑handedly. He acknowledges a handful of characters already lost to the story, then promises to introduce three fresh faces whose fates will intertwine with the lingering mysteries of Omobono and Fabrizio. The tone is both playful and self‑conscious, inviting listeners to follow a tale that bends time and narrative expectations.

The first newcomer, Egeo Bernazzi, is a strikingly odd figure: a baptized Christian whose hair shifts through ebony, copper and silver under the careless hand of a barber, and whose body bears cryptic inked symbols of a pierced heart and chained love. His appearance is rendered in vivid, almost caricatured detail—sharp ears like carriage lanterns, a mosaic‑like face, and a mouth that resembles a half‑opened gramophone. Through him the story hints at broader satirical commentary on politics, social ambition, and the absurdities of identity in a rapidly changing century.