''The Hummingbird'' ( it, Il colibrì) is a 2019

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by Sandro Veronesi. The novel is presented in fragments with a

nonlinear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and many other ...

narrative structure and follows the tumultuous life of ophthalmologist Marco Carrera. The novel won the prestigious

Strega Prize The Strega Prize ( it, Premio Strega ) is the most prestigious Italian literary award. It has been awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction written in the Italian language by an author of any nationality and first published ...

(2020).

Reception

In a

starred review A starred review is a book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...

, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' called the novel "cleverly structured like a jigsaw puzzle", writing, "A senseless tragedy, splashes of levity, and unexpected poignancy bring this to a moving conclusion. Veronesi's dark modern chronicle shimmers with intelligence and flashes of pathos." ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called it an "intriguing but ultimately disappointing experiment in fictional biography" and criticised Veronesi's depictions of women. In 2020, the novel won the prestigious

. Veronesi previously won the Strega in 2006 for his novel

Film adaptation

The novel has been adapted into a film of the same name by director

Francesca Archibugi Francesca Archibugi (; born 16 May 1960) is an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Life and career Born and raised in Rome in an intellectual family (her elder brother is the political and economic theorist Daniele Archibugi), she started ...

. The film stars

Pierfrancesco Favino Pierfrancesco Favino (; August 24, 1969) is an Italian actor, voice actor and producer. He has appeared in more than fifty European and American movies and television series since the early 1990s, including '' The Prince of Homburg'' (1997), '' T ...

as Marco,

Bérénice Bejo Bérénice Bejo (; born 7 July 1976) is a French-Argentine actress best known for playing Christiana in ''A Knight's Tale'' (2001) and Peppy Miller in '' The Artist'' (2011). Her work in the latter earned her a nomination for the Academy Award ...

as Luisa,

Kasia Smutniak Katarzyna Anna "Kasia" Smutniak (; born 13 August 1979) is a Polish-Italian actress and model. Personal life Smutniak was born in Piła, Poland. Her father, Brigadier General Zenon Smutniak, is a military pilot and served in the Polish Air Fo ...

as Marina and

Benedetta Porcaroli Benedetta Porcaroli (born June 11, 1998) is an Italian actress. She is best known for her role as Chiara Altieri in the Netflix series ''Baby An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''in ...

as Adele.

References

2019 novels 21st-century Italian novels Nonlinear narrative novels Novels set in Italy Strega Prize-winning works Novels by Sandro Veronesi Italian novels adapted into films {{2010s-novel-stub