TEHRAN – Stendhal’s novel “The Charterhouse of Parma” has recently been published in Persian by Qoqnus.

Mohammad Nejabati is the translator of the book, which was originally published in 1839.  

Headstrong and naive, the young Italian aristocrat Fabrizio del Dongo is determined to defy the wrath of his right-wing father and go to war to fight for Napoleon. 

He stumbles on the Battle of Waterloo, ill-prepared, yet filled with enthusiasm for war and glory. Finally heeding advice, Fabrizio sneaks back to Milan, only to become embroiled in a series of amorous exploits, fuelled by his impetuous nature and the political chicanery of his aunt Gina and her wily lover. 

Judged by Balzac to be the most important French novel of its time, “The Charterhouse of Parma” is a compelling novel of extravagance and daring, blending the intrigues of the Italian court with the romance and excitement of youth.

The novel was also admired by Tolstoy, André Gide, di Lampedusa and Henry James. 

It was inspired by an inauthentic Italian account of the dissolute youth of Alessandro Farnese. The novel has been adapted for opera, film and television.

The title refers to a Carthusian monastery, which is only mentioned on the last page of the novel and does not figure significantly in the plot.

Henri-Marie Beyle, better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer. 

Known for his acute analysis of his characters’ psychology, he is considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism in his two novels “Le Rouge et le Noir” (“The Red and the Black”, 1830) and “La Chartreuse de Parme” (“The Charterhouse of Parma”, 1839).

Photo: A combination photo shows writer Stendhal and the front cover of the Persian edition of his novel “The Charterhouse of Parma”.

MMS