Summary of The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
“The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” is a romantic novel set in Ferrara in Northern Italy, about a young man who becomes fascinated by the wealthy and reclusive Italian-Jewish family Finzi-Contini, particularly their attractive daughter, Micòl. They become friends and play tennis in the family’s walled garden, yet he yearns for love instead of friendship.
Reasons to read The Garden of the Finzi-ContinisÂ
“The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” is a melancholic tale of a student’s infatuation with a rich girl, his acceptance into the family’s secluded world, and their eventual fall from paradise. The novel paints a poignant portrait of a summer in the late 1930s in Ferrara, as the fascist regime tightened its racial laws, and the Jewish community tried to carry on with daily life. Giorgio Bassani was a renowned Italian writer, who received numerous Italian literary prizes, including the Premio Strega in 1956 for his collection of short stories “Five Stories of Ferrara”, the Premio Viareggio in 1962 for “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis”, and the Premio Campiello in 1969 for “The Heron”. Much of his work is set in Ferrara, where he grew up, and focuses on the Italian Jewish community under fascist rule. The novel was also published as “The Novel of Ferrara”, as part of a collection of six books by Bassani set in Ferrara.
Setting: Ferrara (Italy)
Original title: Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini
Year of publication: 1962
Nr of pages: 200
