The Amulet: a fresh, modern translation by Kevan Houser

by Neera, Kevan Houser (Translator)

A classic romance from the late 1800s by the prolific woman writer Neera, now available in a new English translation.

 

A young woman's secluded life takes an abrupt turn when her new neighbor, a handsome, young, worldly cousin comes to pay her an introductory visit. Although she is married with a six-year-old son, her husband permanently lives far away, so the woman enjoys her cousin's company and conversation immeasurably, although he's not particularly kind or gracious with her.

Introspective and languid at times, this poetic first-person account from the woman's point of view provides great insight into the psyche of a modest fin de siècle Italian wife and mother as her life forever changes.

Beautifully written. Fans of Victorian romance and Jane Austin would appreciate this undiscovered gem of classic Italian literature by the prolific woman writer Neera.

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2011

About the author

Anna Radius Zuccari (May 7, 1846 – July 13, 1918) was an Italian writer who used the pen name Neera.

The daughter of Fermo Zuccari, an architect, she was born Anna Zuccari in Milan and grew up in Caravaggio. Her mother died when she was ten and she was raised by two older unmarried aunts from her father's family. Her father died when she was twenty. In 1871, she married the banker Emilio Radius. She published her first short story in 1875 in the publication Il Pungolo. Zuccari contributed to various magazines and journals, such as Rivista d'Italia, Nuova Antologia, L'illustrazione italiana, La Lettura and L'Idea Liberale. In 1890, she founded the journal Vita Intima.

She died in Milan of cancer at the age of 72, being confined to bed by her illness. During the period before her death, she dictated her memoirs which were published after her death as Una giovinezza del secolo XIX (Portrait of a 19th century youth).

(from Wikipedia)