Despite his aesthetic closer to epic fantasy writers of his generation, roll Patrick Rothfuss, the Italian Matteo Strukul He ends up being a purist of historical fiction with a greater dissemination will from the always suggestive field of fiction.
World-wide sagas or characters from whose precise but surprising new focus of Strukul we rediscover the story. The pen of Matteo Strukul traces his stories from that Italy, heir to the ancient empire and then a haven of all the tragic and historical remains of European and global development.
With a regular cadence of the writer already dedicated to the craft with determination, we move through a world between the 15th and 17th centuries, with the burdens and shadows of our civilization, but also with the lights of those small advances that shape the notion of Humanity with capital letters. A fascinating time for a specialized narrator that will surely lead to many new novels and will surely also lead to new times and settings...
Top 3 recommended novels by Matteo Strukul
Michelangelo's heresy
Being an icon of the Renaissance has its point now. But it is never easy to be at the forefront. Even less in places as cainite as the most glorious Rome or any other Empire bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean. Immersed in the contrasts between the most lucid times still clinging to the sinister shadows of superstition made religion, we devour this story of genius against everything.
Plunged into a deep artistic and spiritual crisis, the Renaissance genius will conceive the final version of Julius II's tomb in a way that could condemn him to the stake.
Rome, autumn 1542. Michelangelo finds himself in the crosshairs of the Inquisition. He is experiencing a deep religious crisis and his friendship with Vittoria Colonna, the Marchioness of Pescara, has not gone unnoticed. The head of the Holy Office, Cardinal Gian Pietro Carafa, has ordered the lady to be followed to identify the place where the sect of the Spirituals meets, headed by Reginald Pole, who advocates a return to evangelical purity in a city where the Corruption runs rampant.
Rome, which has become a city devoured by vice, will be the cruel theater in which the lives of Malasorte, the young thief who has been commissioned to spy on the Spirituals, by Vittorio Corsini, the captain of the minions of the city, of Vittoria Colonna and of Michelangelo Buonarroti himself, the greatest artist of his time.
The Medici. A dynasty to power
The beginning of a tetralogy that introduces us with surgical precision through the interstices of a world given over to the designs of a family that dominated the religious, political and even cultural hierarchy. From the cellular notion of the family institution turned into a dynasty with a surname as labeled to control the world.
Florence, 1429. Upon the death of Patriarch Giovanni de 'Medici, his sons Cosimo and Lorenzo found themselves at the head of a true financial empire but, at the same time, surrounded by staunch enemies such as Rinaldo degli Albizzi and Palla Strozzi, exponents of the most powerful Florentine families.
Using their intelligence and lack of prejudice, the two brothers conquer political power, finding the balance between a relentless sense of business and a love of art and culture. While the works for the construction of the dome of Santa María del Fiore are carried out under the direction of Filippo Brunelleschi, the usual adversaries continue to weave their plots. Among them is also a woman of infinite beauty, but dangerous charm, capable of capturing the heart of a man.
Between homicides, betrayals and palace intrigues, this novel narrates the saga of the most powerful family of the Renaissance, the beginning of their rise to the Florentine Lordship in a succession of intrigues and unexpected twists that have as protagonists unscrupulous captains, fatal poisoners , bloodthirsty Swiss mercenaries ... and many other characters that will keep the reader glued to their pages.
Casanova. The Sonata of Broken Hearts
The uniqueness of the most surprising historical figures stems from a mixture of fortune, ease, daring and hard-earned prosperity in the face of all kinds of adversity and hardship. Giacomo Casanova is one of those archetypes of the self-made man in a world in which the freedom to undertake ambitious life projects is not that it was something simple ...
Venice, 1755. After ten long years touring Europe, Giacomo Casanova finally returns to his hometown and to which his heart has always belonged. But it is dying in the midst of violence and misery, far from the brightness of the past. The return of his most rebellious young man becomes an event and, acclaimed by its inhabitants, Casanova does not waste any occasion to attract attention among nobles and people of the court.
Very soon, the Austrian countess Margarethe von Steinberg challenges him: to seduce the very young Francesca Erizzo before she gets married. A challenge that the famous seducer accepts without foreseeing the feelings that the young Francesca will awaken in him or the danger that hides behind this apparent courtly game. Because the city's highest authorities have only one objective: to put an end to Casanova before he becomes a real threat to the interests of the Republic of Venice.
Other recommended books by Matteo Strukul
The seven dynasties
The Italy of the XNUMXth century is a land torn by war, intrigue and betrayal, ruled by lords who are sometimes cautious, but at the same time thirsty for power and sometimes bloodthirsty. This is the story of Renaissance Italy, a story that will shape the future of Europe.
In Milan, Filippo Maria, the last Visconti, in the absence of sons, tries to guarantee his legacy by marrying his little daughter to Francesco Sforza, a promising man-at-arms. Meanwhile, he tries to bribe the Count of Carmagnola to attack the Condulmer, the patricians of Venice. These, repel the attack and achieve the desired throne of Rome through Pope Eugene IV, despite the frontal opposition of the Colonna family.
The support of the Medici, the double game of the Savoy, the confrontation between Angevin and Aragonese in the south in an increasingly stark war and the advance of Spain and France on the board of treaties and alliances of the continent, mark seven dynasties ready to do anything to perpetuate their own in power.
The Venice Cemetery
Before Venice became a fascinating setting, the city was overflowing with life and its strange nature between waters seemed to justify siren songs swayed between the gentle attacks of the sea against the noble buildings. Driven between its canals, Venice was the attraction of patrons, artists, nobles and also hustlers. Anything could happen…
Venice, 1725. While a smallpox epidemic spreads victims across the city, the lifeless body of a woman belonging to one of the most illustrious families appears in the waters of the Rio dei Mendicanti. The painter Canaletto is summoned to the headquarters of the State inquisitors. One of his most recent paintings represents a scene in the exact place where the woman's body was found, and there are those who suspect the artist's involvement in the crime.
The Doge himself entrusts him with the secret mission of investigating the homicide and the presence of a certain nobleman at the crime scene. In his search for him, Canaletto will discover an unknown city. What secrets are hidden in the Venetian palaces? What truths should remain buried?
