9 h 50 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does love cost when art matters more than the person who loves you?
In autumn Venice, young poet Stelio Èffrena meets the older actress La Foscarina. He trusts his gift and dreams of a new kind of art. She loves him deeply, yet fears losing her youth and his attention. Around them, palaces, canals, glass workers and musicians fill a city dim with golden light.
Gabriele D'Annunzio's The Flame follows a passion in which love and creation feed the same fire. Stelio treats even his feelings as material for art, while La Foscarina wonders what remains of her life beyond the stage. When young singer Donatella Arvale enters their circle, her freshness draws Stelio and sharpens the tensions around him.
What you’ll discover
- Venice in autumn light Linger among canals, palaces, stone and glass as the city shapes the lovers' moods.
- A poet's consuming ambition Enter Stelio's restless vision of art as a force that should shape a nation's life.
- The actress behind the roles Meet La Foscarina beyond the stage, where deep love meets the fear of fading youth.
- A voice that unsettles Discover how Donatella's fine singing voice and freshness stir an already uneasy circle.
- Beauty with a cost Feel the tension between devotion to another person and devotion to the fire of creation.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy rich, sensuous prose, passionate love stories and artistic ambition, and anyone curious about Venice, the theatre and the artistic mood of the 1890s.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two artists meet again in autumn Venice
- Stelio dreams of a new kind of art
- La Foscarina loves and fears the loss of youth
- A younger woman enters the circle
- Art burns the people who serve it
- How the novel is built and why it shocked
Who’s who
- Stelio ÈffrenaA young poet, proud and gifted, who believes art should shape the life of a nation and who treats his own feelings as material.
- La FoscarinaAn admired actress, older than Stelio, who loves him deeply and fears the loss of youth and of his attention.
- Donatella ArvaleA young singer with a fine voice, whose freshness draws Stelio and stirs the feelings of those around her.
- Daniele GlauroA friend and admirer of Stelio, who listens to his talk of art and follows his ideas with devotion.
- VeniceThe city of palaces, water and old glory, which shapes every mood in the story and seems to watch its lovers.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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La llama
by Gabriele D'Annunzio · 1900
In autumn Venice, a young poet puts art above all else, while the actress who loves him fears losing his attention.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Flame is a novel by the Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, published in 1900. It is set in Venice in the autumn, and it follows a love affair between a young poet and an older actress.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Two artists meet again in autumn Venice
The story opens in Venice in the late season, when the summer crowds have gone and the city turns dim and golden. Stelio Èffrena is a young poet who is sure of his own gift. He moves through the city as if it were a stage built for him. He is admired, he is talked about, and he enjoys both.
He is joined by La Foscarina, an actress of great reputation who has played in many cities. She is older than he is, and she carries the tiredness of a woman who has given herself to audiences for years. The two have a history, and the novel picks up their bond at a moment when it is about to deepen. A night ride on the lagoon, with the dark water and the lights of the palaces, sets the tone for what follows.
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What is The Flame by D'Annunzio about?
It is about a love affair in Venice between the young poet Stelio Èffrena and an older actress, La Foscarina. It also deals with art, ambition, aging and the price of living for beauty.
Who is La Foscarina based on?
Readers of the time saw the actress as a portrait of Eleonora Duse, who had been D'Annunzio's lover. The link made the novel a scandal when it appeared in 1900.
Why is the novel called The Flame?
The flame stands for passion and for the fire of creation. The book asks how far a person may give themselves to it, and what it burns away.
The author
Gabriele D'Annunzio
1863–1938 · Italian poet and novelist
Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863–1938) was an Italian novelist, poet and playwright. He was born in Pescara and died in Gardone Riviera. His novels include The Child of Pleasure (1889), The Triumph of Death (1894) and The Flame (1900). He also served as a soldier during the First World War.
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