The Leopard, By Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa

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0120190101By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

The Leopard' draws us into world of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina. It is set in Sicily, during the Risorgimento: the unification of Italy.

An irresistible giant of a man whose hands are like paws and who makes the ground tremble when he rises to his feet, the Prince is clear-eyed, intelligent and languid, aptly represented by the leopard on his coat of arms. Don Fabrizio is about the business of preserving what remains of his family's feudal power in a period of political turmoil. He realises their best hope lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a gorgeous masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode One: The Prince and his family are assembling for dinner.

Reader...Alex Jennings

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery

Lampedusa's epic tale of the decline and fall of a family of Sicilian aristocrats.

0220190101By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

Set in Sicily, during the Risorgimento; the unification of Italy, 'The Leopard' draws us into world of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina. The Prince realises his family's best hope of surviving Garibaldi's plans lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode Two: Tancredi visits.

Reader...Alex Jennings

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery

Lampedusa's epic tale of the decline and fall of a family of Sicilian aristocrats.

0320190101By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

The Leopard' draws us into world of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina. It is set in Sicily, during the Risorgimento; the unification of Italy. An irresistible giant of a man whose hands are like paws and who makes the ground tremble when he rises to his feet, the Prince is clear-eyed, intelligent and languid, aptly represented by the leopard on his coat of arms.

Don Fabrizio is about the business of preserving what remains of his family's feudal power in a period of political turmoil. He realises their best hope lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode 3: The family have arrived at their summer estate, Donnafugata. Concetta has confessed her love of Tancredi to her father, but Don Fabrizio knows that Tancredi needs a wife with money.

Reader...Alex Jennings

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery

Lampedusa's epic tale of the decline and fall of a family of Sicilian aristocrats.

0420190101By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

Don Fabrizio Corbera is the Prince of Salina in Sicily, during the Risorgimento; the unification of Italy. An irresistible giant of a man whose hands are like paws and who makes the ground tremble when he rises to his feet, the Prince is clear-eyed, intelligent and languid, aptly represented by the leopard on his coat of arms.

The Prince knows he must attempt to preserve what remains of his family's feudal power in a period of political turmoil. He realises their best hope lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode 4: Tancredi has fallen in love with the beautiful Angelica, the daughter of the nouveau-riche commoner Don Calogero.

Reader...Alex Jennings

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery

Lampedusa's epic tale of the decline and fall of a family of Sicilian aristocrats.

0520190101By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

The final part of this masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode Five: Twenty years on from the ball that marked the changing fortunes of his family, The Prince knows his time is running out.

Reader...Alex Jennings

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery

Lampedusa's epic tale of the decline and fall of a family of Sicilian aristocrats.