The Leopard

 The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa is widely considered one of the great historical novels. His only work of fiction, The Leopard describes the family life of an Italian prince (with the titular nickname) during the shifting allegiances of the Risorgimento. Jim Shepard considers this a top work, which is what drew me to it, and I enjoyed it. Tomasi was a real Sicilian nobleman and prince. His novel is skillfully written, with engaging characterization, and a perspective that only can come from a certain position in a certain historical moment.

That perspective is interesting. I'm fuzzy on 19th-Century Italian politics, but it essentially describes the decline of the aristocracy through the eyes of the aristocracy. In that way, The Leopard reminds me of J. G. Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur. Farrell's novel tells of the fall of British colonialism, in India, from a colonial perspective. Those two narrative voices--aristocratic and colonial--are certainly out of favor today. But both novels are successful, perhaps because they're so authentic. Farrell and Tomasi aren't apologists for the oppressors; they simply understand that culture better. The strength of both novels comes in the periphery of the action, where history is surging and infringing on the daily manners of out-of-touch protagonists.