Reading lists

An editor’s guide to the VINTAGE European Classics series

These five classics of European literature from across the centuries celebrate the UK’s shared literary heritage with the continent.

The Leopard (Vintage Classic Europeans Series)Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa

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Italy, early 20th century
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s only novel pops up everywhere – The Leopard inspired Rick Stein’s recent Long Weekend in Palermo; it inspired Dolce & Gabbanna’s 2017 Alta Moda show, the centrepiece of which was an dress fit for an Sicilian principessa in a fashion ode to the character Angelica from the novel; and the famous line ‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change’ is (mis)quoted almost weekly in reference to the ever-changing stasis of the political scene. If you’ve managed to avoid all these cultural signposts and still not indulged in the seductive morbid glamour of this Italian masterpiece, then please, borrow a little of the grand appetites of the Prince Salina, and read it, pronto.

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An editor’s guide to the VINTAGE European Classics series

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