Colin Firth: The Leopard, by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Colin Firth, British film, television and theatre actor and Academy Award winner for his portrayal of King George VI in The King’s Speech, recommends The Leopard, by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

“The translation in itself is a masterpiece. The Death of a Prince is an unforgettable passage which changed my perspective on many things. One of the few books I return to endlessly.”

Set in the 1860s, The Leopard tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution. The dramatic sweep and richness of observation, the seamless intertwining of public and private worlds, and the grasp of human frailty imbue The Leopard with its particular melancholy, beauty and power, and place it amongst the greatest historical novels of our time.