I love historical fiction. If I had to choose, though, it's
the medieval world that holds the most fascination for me and medieval Italy
is under represented. I love the Renaissance, too, which conversely is centered
in Florence and Tuscany. I do blame Diana Gabaldon and the
Outlander series and Dorothy Dunnett for waking me up to the fictional
possibilities of the 18th century. My novella takes place in 18th century Tuscany.
In my novella (hey, by the way, Italians invented the novella
form) "If I Were Fire" one of my main characters, Amadeo, is not only
a jockey in the palio, but a poet. A handsome, charming man, his friends are
younger members of the aristocracy.
The most famous Sienese, besides Saint Catherine (of the
14th century) and the evil and homophobic Saint Bernardino (of the early 15th
century), is the poet Cecco Angiolieiri (late 12th century), the bad boy of
Italian literature. If I Were Fire is his most famous poem and could easily be
re-titled "Cecco's Very Very Bad Day."
This is a link to a modern translation of the poem (listen
to it in the original medieval Italian--or, oh, wait is that just me?): http://smilingeggplant.blogspot.com/2010/05/cecco-angiolieri-si-fossi-foco.html
Not a big fan of authority figures, our Cecco.
Cecco was a contemporary of Dante's, and they had an
acrimonious friendship by their correspondence. Cecco's lines are as brilliant
as some of Dante's (before the Comedia). Cecco was Dante's polar opposite,
addicted to drink, gambling, and women. Though his father was a well-to-do
banker in Siena,
Cecco died in massive debt, yet left behind the groundwork for the poetry of a
later age.
That Dante was a Florentine and Cecco Sienese must have been
part of their acrimony. Both were at the famous battle of Montiperti as young
men, on opposite sides, and back in the day of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. The
win that day for Siena is echoed in soccer
stadiums in Italy
today, as the Sienese still scream "Montiperti!" at their Florentine
opponents.
What I loved about writing this story was drawing all those
elements into it. History is never about an isolated place in time—there are so
many decades and centuries leading up to those moments, influenced by people
and what they felt and thought, and what they've left behind that we study and
call "historical."
I don't usually write about famous historical people. That
is, I don't usually have a famous main character in my stories. I can't even
begin to imagine the thoughts Dante or da Vinci had in their heads. Historical
fiction writing for me is average people in their historical setting and
context interacting with the times.
Look for "If I Were Fire" by Heloise West from
Dreamspinner Press in the fall of 2015.
Here's a brief blurb:
In 18th century Siena, Count Salvesto Masello has returned to
find the family villa and his father's estate steeped deeply in debt. In order
to save it, he has been selling off valuable family heirlooms, but he is
running out of silverware. Somewhere in the villa his deceased father had
hidden the art treasures that will pay the debt, but Salvesto can't find them
anywhere.
Amadeo Neruccio has been on the run from the vicious pimp,
thief, and pawnbroker Guelfetto, but his toughs finally catch him and bring him
to the cellar where Count Masello is selling off his silver. When the count
learns what fate Guelfetto has in store for Amadeo, he intervenes, and trades
the last of his mother's dowry for the young man's freedom.
Salvesto had left home over ten years ago to live the life
of adventure he craved. He had also hoped to leave his broken heart behind.
When he rescues young Amadeo, he did not expect to find love again, or that his
adventures had yet to end.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
