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FEDERICO G. MARTINI |
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Many of Federico G. Martini’s novels and story collections are available on order online or from your local bookstore or from Amazon.com online. His writings have won awards and garnered good reviews. The following provides a brief overview of his novels and stories.
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Stolen Lives Ludovico the Moor and the Flemish Painter Milan Short Stories Young Anger Wicked Couple Voyage into the Obscure Sunset of Aristocracy The Heretic Dark Side of Solitude Black Moon in Casablanca Asiago Woods - Unforgettable Journey through Italy |
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Is a
portrait of the years between 1898 to 1919, when cruel events and a
great war swept away nearly a generation of young people, changing the
structure and face of Europe forever. The stage is set for a series of
coups d’état that ignite the coming bloody WWII. Through the memories of
a Milanese family, the reader relives the repressions of the general
Bava Beccaris, the regicide of Umberto the First, the horrors of trench
warfare and the rise of Fascism. With the protagonist, Luca Aliprandi,
we summon distant memories of the love of the courageous young and
the strong family ties of those desperate events. From the depth of the
reader’s soul arises a yearning melancholy for times gone by, as
he is touched by memories that fade leaving the truth that life is as
fleeting as a breath of wind. |
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LUDOVICO the Moor and the Flemish Painter
Like many princes of the Renaissance, Ludovico the
Moor loves to surround himself with celebrated artists that can bring
him immortal fame. Ludovico invites a talented Flemish painter named
Pieter of Utrecht to his court. Needing a rich patron, the young master
accepts the Moor’s invitation and leaves his country to travel to Milan.
On his journey, Pieter faces many dangers, but he is able to visit the
impressive French cathedrals and yields to the seductions of a few
pretty maidens along the way. Finally the Flemish painter reaches Milan
and encounters Beatrice of Este and her consort, Ludovico. During his
life in Milan, Pieter of Utrecht makes Leonardo da Vinci acquaintance,
who is just completing his grand fresco, the Last Supper. |
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Sometimes Milan seems a
city without feeling
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always too busy and too anxious
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but this impression soon fades if you stop and listen to the people.
This charming collection of short stories overflows with humanity,
sadness, love and the lives of a few Milanese. This miscellany of
memories shows the reader a gallery of characters everybody with his own
distinctive feature, however, the author introduces us, not only to the
people of Milan, but to a singular stray dog and a centuries old plane
tree. |
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Today
the post-war period appears far and faded, but the tales of history
cannot die. They live on in novels such as this one that recall a time
when most families led a miserable existence. Young Anger tells
of privation and anger, powerful forces that even so were unable to
steal men’s will to rebuild their homes and factories that had been
destroyed by bombardments. In the years of post-war reconstruction, men,
women and children alike fought their way up from poverty and struggled
to reemerge from their cruel lot. Through solid friendships, noble
efforts, and a great love that no hardship can break, these quiet heroes
summoned the drive to revive and restore sad Milan to the beauty of its
old and pleasant image. |
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Is
the tale of Roberto Montenero,
a handsome fellow who has just been released
from jail. He meets a prostitute d’alto bordo, Viola,
who keeps clients among Milan’s high society.
She convinces him to become her partner in providing erotic performances
for some depraved members of the upper class. This is a dark story based
on a real event, in which the wicked couple sinks into depravity,
through episodes of sex, avidity and jealousy that lead to a series of
crimes scenes. |
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Is a
collection of eighteen short stories that plunge the reader into
dimensions where dark powers prevail over the limited knowledge of the
human mind. |
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SUNSET OF THE ARISTOCRACY
Begins near the end of the 19th century
when members of the Milanese dynasty Ravazzani-Lavatier, including the
countess Charlotte called maman, are swept away by an unstoppable
force. For centuries nobility has lived in a state of privilege,
indifferent to the misery of the common folk. With the industrial
revolution, an alarming new middle class emerges. The privileged classes
lack the strength and fortitude to adapt to a changing world, and many
monarchies and noble families slide towards the fate of extinction. |
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Is an
intense and sprawling historical novel that opens with the tragic death
of Frederic called Barbarossa in 1190, and portrays popes,
emperors and other characters buried in oblivion. This is the story of
Anselmo da le erbe, disciple of friar Celeste, a member of
Humiliati, a religious community founded in Milan in the XII century. He
and his brother friars preserve and guard three precious letters that
Jesus dictated to his followers. To escape accusations of heresy and
prevent the growing Inquisition from seizing the letters, Anselmo takes
them and runs away to Venice where warlords are preparing for the Fourth
Crusade. He travels with the crusaders to Constantinople, where he
witnesses brutalities perpetrated by Christian men. In holy Jerusalem,
he discovers with sorrow that even the religious Christian conquest is
marked with blood and cruelty. |
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During the August holidays, when Milan is completely deserted, a man is
confronted with a feeling of total loneliness. To overcome the boredom
and anguish that oppress him, he begins to recall to mind all of the
unique women who have left an indelible trace in his memory. He conjures
up all sorts of mad desires, passions, disappointments and regrets, real
or imagined, that have marked his life. In this state of reverie,
reality fades and his thoughts seethe with an imagination filled with as
much fantasy as truth. |
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A
young and vibrant American top model travels to Milan for a fashion show
and mysteriously disappears. Leo Kramer, a loner and resolute private
detective, embarks on an investigation that leads him away from the high
fashion world to Casablanca. With the help of Commissioner of Police
Herradi, Kramer runs many deadly risks to continue his relentless
pursuit. Intrigues and homicides vex and baffle the reader through this
tension-filled mystery novel. |
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Federico G.
Martini
has brought with this novel a poignant tale of Davide, a man from Milan,
whose journey through life and Italy is a touching adventure of the soul
and the senses. Worn
out with anxiety
from a thankless career, Davide suffers a panic attack and breakdown in
a traffic jam on Milan’s ring road. To save himself, he abruptly flees
his home, job and friends and takes off on an unplanned trip through the
towns, ancient monuments, woods, mountains and beaches of Italy. On the
road, he meets unforgettable men and women, tastes delectable regional
cuisines, follows the rivers, meditates under the starry sky and stands
on snow-covered peaks. Gradually he comes to understand that a better
world exists for him, one full of wonderful sensations and without
prejudice. He begins to smile again and to rediscover the joy of life.
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