Have a sneak peek between the pages of Viva Violetta & Verdi by Howard Jay Smith #HistoricalFiction #Composers #RecommendedReading

Viva Violetta & Verdi

by Howard Jay Smith

Blurb:

A Love Affair Inspiring the World’s Most Unforgettable Operas

Experience the intense, lifelong love affair between Giuseppe Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi, the brilliant and seductive soprano who shaped his legacy. As his muse, lover, and wife, Strepponi was the inspiration behind Verdi's most iconic works, including La Traviata and Aida. Her influence was pivotal, as she became the architect of his creative triumphs and the heart of his operatic genius.

Set against the backdrop of Italy's Risorgimento, this sweeping novel intertwines their turbulent relationship with the nation's fierce struggle for independence. Through the heartbreak of three brutal wars, Verdi and Strepponi's passion, betrayal, and artistic ambition come alive, mirroring the era's fiery spirit.

Rich with themes of love, power, food, wine, and unrelenting passion, Viva Violetta & Verdi is an unforgettable exploration of art, resilience, and the enduring bond that transformed both an artist and a nation.

Praise for Viva Violetta & Verdi:

"A stunning, significant book...that is rich, lush and drenched in knowledge. It is nothing less than a gift."
~ Sheila Weller

"Smith's historic drama embraces universal themes of class and religious persecution, and weaves gorgeous language with an intimate knowledge of Italian food, music, and political hypocrisy that contemporary readers will find irresistible."
~ ​Jessica Keener

"Viva Violetta & Verdi is a well-researched love letter to Verdi; fans are sure to love."
~ Leslie Zemeckis

"Perfection. You are right there, inhaling and breathing in the words, the smell, and each piece of music. Bravo. It is both a love song and a love letter to the irrefutable power of Verdi's muse, Violetta."
~ Amy Ferris

Sacchetti al Tartufo

Tre reassured me that everything would be perfect. “We will have enough food and drink to last us until dawn. It will be a night worthy of the Maestro Verdi himself.”

It was after all a menu that Verdi had not only suggested, it was one he had insisted upon when we last dined together only days before he had passed away. In addition to endless salumi platters heaped high with miles of sliced meats and exotic cheeses, Tre had specialty ordered barrels of wine from across the breadth and depth of our still new nation that Verdi loved: Nero D’Avola from Sicily, Brunello from Montalcino, Sangiovese from Tuscany, Barolo and Barbera from the Piemonte, Taurasi from Naples, Prosecco from the Veneto, and Cagnulari from Sardinia. But the centerpiece of the evening, the specialty dish Verdi had specifically asked for was one he had enjoyed at Ca’ Dario for nearly seventy years, our Sacchetti al Tartufo, a satchel shaped dumpling filled with ricotta cheese and black truffles that was served in a delicate parmigiano white sauce. In Verdi’s own words, not only was it the most delicious dish that ever graced his palate, it was the one he most associated with the Risorgimento. To be Italian is to be passionate about food, opera and l'amore stesso - love itself. Verdi, the quintessential Italian, had his first taste of our Sacchetti al Tartufo on the night the revolution to birth a free and democratic Republic of Italy began. And his honor, for tonight only, we added a garnish of fresh basil and finely chopped bits sweet red peppers to the Sacchetti’s white sauce to echo the tricolors of our national flag.

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Howard Jay Smith

Howard Jay Smith is an award-winning writer from Santa Barbara, California. 

Viva Violetta & Verdi is his third novel in his series on great composers, including Beethoven in Love, Opus 139, and Meeting Mozart: From the Secret Diaries of Lorenzo da Ponte. His other books include Opening the Doors to Hollywood (Random House) and John Gardner: An Interview (New London Press).

He was recently awarded a Profant Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Excellence in Writing. Smith is a former two-time Bread Loaf Scholar and three time Washington, D.C. Commission for the Arts Fellow, who taught for many years in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program and has lectured nationally. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, American Heritage Magazine, the Beethoven Journal, Horizon Magazine, Fig Tree Press, the Journal of the Writers Guild of America, the Ojai Quarterly, and numerous trade publications. 

While an executive at the ABC Television, Embassy TV, and Academy Home Entertainment he worked on numerous film, television, radio and commercial projects. He serves on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Symphony and is a member of the American Beethoven Society.

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