
In a witty, slightly satirical portrait of early‑twentieth‑century Romagna, a narrator muses on the origins of the “red men”—the fervent republicans whose banners blaze like fire. Through a playful allegory that names the five sisters Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania, the novel sketches a world where politics, family pride and youthful idealism collide.
The heart of the story follows Europa, an eighteen‑year‑old whose life is brightened by the shy yet determined Manso Liturgico, a young man bound to the clerical establishment. Their secret correspondence and tentative romance blossom against a rigid social order that forbids the union of a republican’s daughter and a son of the church. With the ever‑watchful chambermaid Divina as confidante, their plans for a daring escape begin to take shape, promising both comedy and tension.
Language
it
Duration
~5 hours (304K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Carlo Traverso, Barbara Magni and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2020-03-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1874–1930
A journalist, novelist, and travel writer from Romagna, he turned his reporting life into vivid books about places, people, and public life in early twentieth-century Italy. His career also reflected the politics of his time, including an open alignment with Fascism in the 1920s.
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