Summary of The Scarlet City
“The Scarlet City” is a historical novel set in Renaissance Italy. Giovanni Borgia, who grew up at the court of Pope Alexander VI, is desperate to uncover his parentage and find his own identity. Is he an illegitimate child of the powerful Borgia family — perhaps a son of the Pope himself, or of Cesare or Lucrezia Borgia — or does he belong instead to the Farnese family? The book follows his search through changing perspectives, blending his voice with those of figures such as Michelangelo and Machiavelli.
Reasons to read The Scarlet City
“The Scarlet City” offers a vivid portrayal of Italy during the late Renaissance, particularly of Rome in the 1520s. It explores the intrigues and power struggles among cardinals, popes, and Italian princes, against the backdrop of the Italian Wars between France and Spain, culminating in the Sack of Rome by the troops of Emperor Charles V. The novel is richly layered and especially recommended for readers with a strong interest in Italian history. Hella S. Haasse was one of the most prominent Dutch authors of the twentieth century (recipient of the Huygens Prize and the P.C. Hooft Award), though she remains little known in the English-speaking world. Her reputation is largely founded on her historical novels — including “The Scarlet City” and “In a Dark Wood Wandering” — and on her Indonesian novels such as “The Tea Lords” and “Oeroeg”.
Original title: De scharlaken stad
Year of publication: 1952
Nr of pages: 368
