The Flame

The novel "The Flame" (Italian: Il fuoco) is set in 1883 Venice and tells the story of a young artist and his mistress, a famous actress. This novel reflects D'Annunzio's romance with Eleonora Duse, an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. Duse was five years older than her lover, and this theme got a reflection in the novel. The protagonist of the story, an alter-ego of D'Annunzio, is a young poet Stelio Effrena, a close friend of Richard Wagner and his artistic successor. He and his lover La Foscarina come to Venice six months before Wagner's death. Both of them have inner conflicts to live through. Effrena tries to find his place as an artist, and La Foscarina suffers from the fact that her incredible beauty is aging, and thus, she will soon no longer be a muse for the great poet. The book is full of D'Annunzio's recollections on art, poetry, music and is often perceived as his artistic manifest. It also reflects the real-life rivalry between two great actresses, Eleonora Duse, and Sarah Bernhardt, who was rumored to return her presentation copy to the author unopened.

General Gabriele D'Annunzio, Prince of Montenevoso (1863 – 1938), was an Italian poet, playwright, orator, journalist, aristocrat, an army officer during World War I, and a prominent politician. As a writer, politician, and thinker, he occupied a principal place in the Italian literary and political life, often influencing the latter by his decadent literary works. He positioned himself as an ultranationalist yet never associated with fascism. However, his ideas had a significant influence on Benito Mussolini. In the times of World War I, D'Annunzio became a national hero. He took part in important events such as the Flight over Vienna, and after that, he set up the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro in Fiume, of which he became a leader. Gabriele D'Annunzio's literary work marked the beginning of a new era in Italian literature. It was a shift from the naturalism of the preceding romantics. His works were fresh and both sensual and mystical. His prose, dramatic and poetic words brought him international acclaim and fame.