In the original dustsheet. Blue cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

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Taking the fire that destroyed the Fenice theatre in 1996 as his starting point, John Berendt creates a unique and unforgettable portrait of Venice and its extraordinary inhabitants. Beneath the exquisite facade of the world’s most beautiful historic city, scandal, corruption and venality are rampant, and John Berendt is a master at seeking them out. Ezra Pound and his mistress, Olga; poet Mario Stefani; the Rat Man of Treviso; or Mario Moro – self-styled carabiniere, fireman, soldier or airman, depending on the day of the week. With his background in journalism, Berendt is perfectly poised to gain access to private and unapproachable people, and persuade them to talk frankly to him. The result is mischievous, witty, compelling – and destined to be the non-fiction succes d’estime of the year.

Reviews

• The story of the Fenice fire and its aftermath is exceptionally interesting, the cast of characters is suitably various and flamboyant, and Berendt’s prose is precise, evocative and witty (Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post)

• An engaging journey in which the author navigates Venice’s shadowy politics, its tangled bureaucracy and its elegant high-society nightlife with a discerning, sanguine touch. Berendt does great justice to an exalted city that has rightly fascinated the likes of Henry James, Robert Browning and many filmmakers throughout the world . . . In Berendt’s capable hands, the city has never seemed more colorful, perplexing and alluring. (Kirkus Reviews)

• ‘Berendt has delivered an intriguing mosaic of modern life in Venice, which makes for first-rate travel writing’ (Publishers Weekly)

• The City of Falling Angels – one of the longest-awaited literary encores in recent times – strikes many of the same notes as “Midnight”. It, too, is set in one of history’s blessed backwaters, a place of crumbling mansions and rococo intrigue. And it, too, teems with a diverse cast of aristocrats and lowlifes. (Adam Goodheart, New York Times Book Review)

• An urbane, beautifully fashioned book with much exotic charm. . . Once again, Mr Berendt makes erudite, inquisitive, nicely sceptical company as he leads the reader through the shadows of what was heretofore better known as a tourist attraction. (Janet Maslin, New York Times)

• ‘Thrilling and immediate, a compelling tapestry of eye-witness accounts.’ (Independent on Sunday)

• ‘Mr. Berendt has breathed deeply the air of the city of falling angels . . . splendidly entertaining.’ (The Economist)

• ‘He delivers an urbane, beautifully fashioned book with much exotic charm . . . erudite, inquisitive, nicely sceptical company’ (Jane Maslin, International Herald Tribune)

• ‘A cultured man, a persistent journalist and a vivid writer . . . a worthy addition to the vast literature about Venice.’ (Independent)

• ‘With his sharp eyes and sharp pen, he begins to penetrate the city’s own shimmering mask.’ (Scotsman)

• ‘With his keen eye, laconic prose, and almost father-cofessor-like ability to extract self-incriminating admissions from his various interviewees, Berendt is the most urbane and entertaining guide through Venice’s social labyrinth.’ (Literary Review)

• ‘Berendt tells his stories fluently, and there are some well-timed surprises and jokes.’ (Times Literary Supplement)

• ‘Berendt has also been seduced by Venice and captured the calm quirkiness beneath the beauty.’ (Alan Whicker, Sunday Express)

• A unique tour behind the exquisite façade of the world’s most beautiful historic city from the international bestselling author of MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL

John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction.