The Flame

D'Annunzio (1863-1938) was an Italian writer, poet, journalist and playwright who occupied a prominent position in Italian literature from 1889-1910, and later in political life from 1914-24. This novel was first published in the original Italian in 1900. It is set in Venice in 1883 and tells the story of a young artist and his mistress, a famous but aging actress, and was inspired by D'Annunzio's own relationship with the actress Eleonora Duse. It contains expositions of many of his theories about drama inspired by Nietzsche and Wagner, and in its descriptions of Venice is perhaps the most ardent glorification of a city in literature in any language. Reprinted from an English translation of 1907 with a short introduction by the translator.