The Saint

The Saint by Antonio Fogazzaro is a novel that tells the story of a young man named Piero Maironi, who is torn between his love for a married woman named Luisa, and his desire to become a saint. Piero is a devout Catholic who feels a strong calling to live a life of piety and self-denial, but he is also deeply in love with Luisa, who is unhappily married to a wealthy and cruel aristocrat.As Piero struggles to reconcile his conflicting desires, he becomes increasingly isolated from society and begins to withdraw from the world around him. He spends long hours in prayer and meditation, and eventually decides to renounce his love for Luisa and devote himself entirely to his spiritual quest.However, as Piero's devotion to his faith deepens, he finds himself increasingly at odds with the corrupt and decadent society in which he lives. He becomes a target of ridicule and persecution, and is eventually forced to flee his home and seek refuge in a remote mountain monastery.Despite the many challenges he faces, Piero remains steadfast in his faith and continues to pursue his goal of becoming a saint. His story is one of spiritual struggle and triumph, and offers a powerful meditation on the nature of faith, love, and sacrifice.1906. From the Introduction: Senator Fogazzaro, in The Saint, has confirmed the impression of his five-and-twenty years' career as a novelist, and, thanks to the extraordinary power and pertinence of this crowning work, he has suddenly become an international celebrity. The censors of the Index have assured the widest circulation of this book, by condemning it as heretical. In the few months since its publication, it has been read by hundreds of thousands of Italians; it has appeared in a French translation in the Revue des Deux Mondes and in German in Hochland. It has become the storm centre of religious and literary debate. Now it will be bought be a still wider circle, eager to see what the doctrines are, written by the leading Catholic layman in Italy, at which the Papal advisers have taken fight. Time was when it was the books of the avowed enemies of the Church-of some mocking Voltaire, some learned Renan, some impassioned Michelet-which they thrust on the Index; now they pillory the Catholic layman with the largest following in Italy, one who has never wavered in his devotion to the Church. Whatever the political result of their action may be, they have made the fortune of the book they hoped to suppress, and this is good, for The Saint is a real addition to literature.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.