
A flamboyant, self‑styled baron‑philosopher narrates his final act: a tongue‑in‑cheek manual on how to make a living out of borrowing. From his imagined origins in London, Paris, and Constantinople, he presents “the art of debt” as both a personal confession and a satirical guide, warning of a future where creditors vanish and the world becomes a single, sprawling ledger of obligations.
The opening chapters lay out his grandiose definitions of the “puffista” – a person who proudly lives off public and private credit – and sprinkle the text with vivid, almost theatrical images of towering piles of promissory notes igniting in fiery protest. Listeners will be drawn into a witty, hyperbolic world that blends social critique with absurdist philosophy, all delivered in a richly ornamental style that mirrors the author’s own exaggerated self‑portrait.
Language
it
Duration
~3 hours (190K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Giovanni Fini, Carlo Traverso, Progetto Manuzio and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by Biblioteca Sormani - Milano)
Release date
2014-10-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1824–1893
Best known as the librettist behind Verdi’s Aida, this lively Italian writer moved easily between journalism, poetry, fiction, and the stage. His career spanned the worlds of opera and satire, leaving behind work that was both literary and theatrical.
View all books