The Triumph of Death

by Gabriele D'Annunzio

"The Triumph of Death" by Gabriele D'Annunzio is a novel belonging to "The Romances of the Rose" cycle. Set in the Abruzzo region, it follows Giorgio Aurispa, a noble aesthete consumed by obsession with his lover Ippolita. After witnessing a suicide and discovering his family's ruin, Giorgio retreats to the sea with Ippolita. But his growing paranoia and fixation on death lead him toward a desperate and fatal decision on a seaside cliff.