Set in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister Unnamed' in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed's exploration of love, power and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels.

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Set in Lombardy in the years 1628-30, The Betrothed tells the dramatic tale of two young lovers in a time of war, famine, and plague. Following them through exile and suffering, it displays great richness of characterization and a profound insight into the workings of history and the politics of the time. First published in 1827 as I promessi sposi, The Betrothed is the first modern Italian novel. Alessandro Manzoni was born in Milan to a noble family in 1785; although he was also a poet, he remains best known for The Betrothed. He died in 1873. David Forgacs is a Lecturer in Italian at Cambridge University; he is the author of Rethinking Italian Fascism and A Gramsci Reader . Matthew Reynolds is a Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

曼佐尼，意大利作家。1785年3月7日生于米兰，1873年5月22日卒于同地。自幼受启蒙主义思想熏陶。1805年赴巴黎，同思想文化界人士广泛交际，从欧洲进步的哲学思潮和法国浪漫主义文学中吸取了宝贵的思想养料。早期作品主要是诗歌。曼佐尼是一位杰出的戏剧家。历史小说《约婚夫妇》是意大利文学史上最优秀的古典长篇小说。同时他对文艺理论、历史、语言也有精湛的研究。