Il piacere

In this seminal work of Italian decadentism, Gabriele D’Annunzio tells the story of Andrea Sperelli, a cultured and hedonistic aristocrat who pursues aesthetic and sensual pleasure as the supreme ideal. Set in aristocratic Rome of the late nineteenth century, the novel describes his life marked by luxury, melancholy and the search for sublime experiences. Torn between two women, Elena, an intense and destructive passion, and Maria, a symbol of purity and redemption, Andrea confronts the existential void and the contradictions of his own nature. "Il Piacere" is a profound and poetic portrait of the moral decadence and dissatisfaction of an elite trapped in the desire to transcend through art, love and sensuality.