The Scarlet City A Novel of 16th Century Italy

Hella Haasse made her successful English-language debut with In a Dark Wood Wandering, a sweeping epic of the Middle Ages. In The Scarlet City, she takes us to 16th-century Italy, which is torn by savage violence of war and sinister intrigues for power. The novel centers around Giovanni Borgia, a mysterious figure known in history as the infans Romanus, or child of Rome. Although he bears one of the most notorious names in all of Italy, Giovanni doesn't know his parentage. Is Cesare Borgia his father or his brother? Or is he no relation at all? Is Lucrezia Borgia his mother or his sister -- or possibly both? Hella Haasse uses the ferment and intrigue of the Italian Wars -- during which French, Swiss, Spanish and German armies surged into Italy -- as a backdrop for Giovanni's agonizing quest for his identity. Giovanni's search introduces us to come of the most intriguing people of the times: the Italian patriot Machiavelli; the sublime, tormented artist Michelangelo; elegant Vittoria Colonna and her estranged husband, the Marquis of Pescara. We meet also Lucrezia Borgia and her cruel, unpredictable husband, the Duke of Ferrera; the scurrilous writer Pietro Aretino and the seductive courtesan Tullia d'Aragona. Hella Haasse draws each with great depth and brilliant color.

Hella S. Haasse has written 17 novels as well as poetry, plays and essays, and has received many honors and awards including the Netherlands State Award for Literature. Her books have been translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Italian, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian and Welsh.