Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Epic poem, biography, literary criticism, historical romance - in A Gift, David Slavitt presents the fascinating life of Mozart's librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, one of history's great unknowns, a man blessed and cursed by his conviction that within him lay the capacity for literary greatness.
Educated in the church, the young da Ponte carouses in Venice, flees Italy, and finds himself in Austria, trying to establish a career in the theatre. Under the tepid patronage of Joseph II of Austria, he turns out libretti for Salieri and learns the "whorey tricks" of writing on demand: "Adaptation, translation, theft.".
Then, on the brink of despair, he encounters Mozart - boorish, preferring crude farce to literary grace. Still, the partnership thrives with The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte. But good luck is not to be trusted, and "misfortune is not reliable either.".
Despite his brilliant gift, success eludes da Ponte. Ever gullible, ever generous, he is destined to accumulate others' debts, to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, to be forgotten. Da Ponte lives out his life in the fledgling United States, plagued by sickness, debt, and the implacably looming specter of failure.
Slavitt has created a lovely, heartening book, one that reminds us that untested faith is no faith at all. Alight with muted passion, A Gift chronicles a man's refusal to despair despite the growing awareness that nothing awaits but poverty and ignominy - "that this ill-fitting garment is what the wardrobe holds." Through Slavitt's lively imagination, we feel reverence rather than pity for the dogged nobility of da Ponte's struggle. Ultimately, Lorenzo da Ponte is a hero, his life a victory.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Showing 2 featured editions. View all 2 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
A Gift: The Life of Da Ponte : A Poem
March 1996, Louisiana State University Press
Hardcover
in English
0807120472 9780807120477
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
A Gift: The Life of Da Ponte : A Poem
March 1996, Louisiana State University Press
Paperback
in English
0807120480 9780807120484
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?July 29, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
August 16, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
May 15, 2019 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
July 16, 2010 | Edited by WorkBot | merge works |
December 9, 2009 | Created by WorkBot | add works page |