To celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Feltrinelli publishing house, the writer and scenographer Francesco Piccolo looks back over the tormented story and reveals background details of the publication of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel.
Il Gattopardo. Una storia incredibile is the account of one of the most fascinating tales in publishing history; from the many refusals from other publishing houses to the posthumous publication, in 1958, a year after the death of the author; from the varying destiny, with accusations of reactionarism and the immense public and critical success (winner in 1959 of the Strega award) of the equally controversial film version by Luchino Visconti. There is an extremely strong bond uniting the book and the film – another classic marked by a troubled history – of which a number of scenes are screened, creating an evocative and iconic account on the stage of the Teatro Strehler. 
In February, Feltrinelli released a new edition of the book with an original cover, lending new form to a literary milestone that has survived the decades while bearing no signs of age. In Rome, at the Teatro Argentina, the same month saw the beginning of the journey of this theatrical reading that has crossed Italy, from Palermo to Turin, and to Milan, representing a crucial moment in cultural history.