The Caravaggio Syndrome
The Caravaggio Syndrome
A Novel
Leyla is a headstrong Brooklyn-born art historian at a prestigious upstate New York college. When she meets feckless young computer technician Pablo at a party, she quickly becomes pregnant with his child. There’s only one problem: she can’t stand him. And one more problem: her student Michael wants Pablo for himself.
Amid this love triangle, the objects of Leyla and Michael’s study take on a life of their own. Trying to learn more about Caravaggio’s masterpiece The Seven Works of Mercy, they pore over the journal and prison writings of maverick 17th-century utopian philosopher Tommaso Campanella, which, as if by enchantment, transport them back four centuries to Naples. And while the past and present miraculously converge, Leyla, Michael, and Tommaso embark on a voyage of self-discovery in search of a new life.
In this fusion of historical, queer, and speculative fiction, Alessandro Giardino combines the intellectual playfulness of Umberto Eco with the psychological finesse of Michael Cunningham.
In this dreamy meditation, Giardino explores artistic dissatisfaction, personal resilience, and the intricacies of intimate relationships, all connected by the enigmatic allure of Caravaggio’s art...Giardino’s narrative prowess, coupled with Myerson’s fluid translation, makes for a subtle speculative work that lingers in the mind.'
The Caravaggio Syndrome is a daring and often delicious feat of imagination, as mercurial and masterful as the painter himself, and filled with surprises at every turn. Alessandro Giardino has written a genre-expanding novel sure to please artists, philosophers, Italophiles, and anyone who simply loves a good story.'
The Caravaggio Syndrome is the dramatic convergence of five characters in two different centuries, beautifully weaved together. It’s a book about love, resistance, escape, and solitude.’
A luminous and very powerful story.
While looking to the past, Alessandro Giardino’s inventive mash-up of art history and speculative fiction has a lot to say about our present moment.
In this surprising debut novel, Alessandro Giardino's writing moves on the page like the wing of a Baroque angel. It doubles and unfolds revealing the Caravaggesque play of light and shadow that unites the lives of its protagonists.
This novel enchants, seduces, and transports Naples into the echo of different eras, all coming together through the voice of the author as in a play of mirrors where Caravaggio’s appearance is nothing more than another hiding strategy.
Alessandro Giardino's debut novel is an incredible achievement and an exciting read: it takes us on a journey between North America and Europe, between the 2000s and the late sixteenth century, through genders, cultures, and artistic genres, alternating intellectual musings and sensual impulses. The complexity of this concise tale is carried and enhanced by incredibly rich language, as timeless as it is poignant.'
In a genre-bending triptych that is both expansive and intimate, Alessandro Giardino paints a vibrant tableau vivant that is a bold yet graceful study of life, love, and art. Smart and sexy, the ambitious work is vividly imaginative and ornate, offering the reader a literary tour of Naples, Paris, and New York, and reminding us about the important lessons we can learn when we look to the past. A talent to watch!
JOYCE MYERSON has had an extensive career in academic and literary translation. She is the translator of numerous books, including the award-winning The Big Score by Irene Grazzini.
Foreword, Ara Merjian
Translator's Note, Joyce Myerson
Author's Note, Alessandro Giardino
The Caravaggio Syndrome
Notes on Contributors
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