6-part miniseries from Italy.
Rather than summarizing the series, I’m focusing on the source novel to give you a sense of what the show is about. (And the history of the novel’s route to publication is interesting.)
Rejected by a series of publishers, abandoned in a chest for twenty years, Goliarda Sapienza’s masterpiece, The Art of Joy, survived a turbulent path to publication. It wasn’t until 2005, when it was released in France, that this novel received the recognition it deserves. At last, Sapienza’s remarkable book is available in English, in a brilliant translation by Anne Milano Appel and with an illuminating introduction by Angelo Pellegrino.
The Art of Joy centers on Modesta, a Sicilian woman born on January 1, 1900, whose strength and character are an affront to conventional morality. Impoverished as a child, Modesta believes she is destined for a better life. She is able, through grace and intelligence, to secure marriage to an aristocrat―without compromising her own deeply felt values. Friend, mother, lover―Modesta revels in upsetting the rules of her fascist, patriarchal society.
This is the history of the twentieth century, transfigured by the perspective of one extraordinary woman. Sapienza, an intriguing figure in her own right―her father homeschooled her so she wouldn’t be exposed to fascist influences―was a respected actress and writer who drew on her own struggles to craft this powerful epic. A fictionalized memoir, a book of romance and adventure, a feminist text, a bildungsroman―this novel is ultimately undefinable but deeply necessary; its genius will leave readers breathless.
After a slow start, the series included some excellent nudity, especially Tecla’s hetero scene in episode 4 and Alma’s dark-but-sexy nudity in the episode 6 lesbian scene.
Tecla Insolia solo in episode 2
Tecla Insolia and Alma Noce in episode 3
Tecla Insolia and Alma Noce in episode 4
Tecla Insola with a guy in episode 4
Tecla Insola with a guy in episode 5
Alma Noce in episode 6 (with Tecla Insolia)
