Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863-1938) celebrated his greatest success with this autobiographical novel published in 1900. In the highly dramatic love story between the poet and composer Stelio and his mistress Foscarina, who rises to become an international stage star, one can easily recognize D'Annunzio and the famous Eleonore Duse, who had a scandalous love affair for some time. However, D'Annunzio's radical openness and the depiction of even the most intimate details strained their relationship, and both separated shortly after the novel's publication.