The Violin with Human Strings

and Other Tales of Musical Madness

Antonio Ghislanzoni

Translated by Brendan and Anna Connell

Antonio Ghislanzoni (1824-1893), though primarily remembered today for writing the libretto for Verdi’s Aida, was one of the most interesting Italian authors working in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Closely associated with the Scapigliatura movement, many of his items of fiction have strong elements of the fantastic, including two of the four offerings in the present collection, which is the first book of his to appear in English, translated by Brendan and Anna Connell.

This quartet of tales, the protagonists of which are a violinist, a pianist, a trumpet player, and a singer, are by turns horrific, humorous, bizarre, and touching, and bring to the modern reader some of the small masterpieces of one of Italy’s great writers, who is certainly deserving of renewed recognition.

About the Author
Antonio Ghislanzoni (1824-1893) was an Italian opera singer and man of letters. Though primarily remembered today for writing the libretto for Verdi’s Aida, he wrote a vast number of other works, including around eighty librettos, numerous lyrics, at least seven novels, a large number of short stories, and hundreds of newspaper articles. Closely associated with the Scapigliatura movement, many of his items of fiction, such as his 1884 novel Abrakadabra, have elements of the fantastic.

About the Translator
Brendan and Anna Connell have together translated numerous texts from Italian, including Alcina and Other Stories , by Guido Gozzano (Snuggly Books, 2019) and Narcisa and Other Stories, by Luigi Gualdo (Snuggly Books, 2024).

Paperback, 122 pages. Release date:  December 2, 2024
ISBN-13: 978-1-64525-163-7
Price: US$16.00