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''The Gadfly'' is a novel by Irish-born British writer Ethel Voynich, published in 1897 (United States, June; Great Britain, September of the same year), set in 1840s Italy under the dominance of
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, a time of tumultuous revolt and uprisings. The story centres on the life of the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
, Arthur Burton. A thread of a tragic relationship between Arthur and his love, Gemma, simultaneously runs through the story. It is a tale of faith, disillusionment, revolution, romance, and heroism.


Themes

The book, set during the Italian ''
Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
'', is primarily concerned with the culture of revolution and revolutionaries. Arthur, the eponymous Gadfly, embodies the tragic Romantic hero, who comes of age and returns from abandonment to discover his true state in the world and fight against the injustices of the current one. The landscape of Italy, in particular the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, is a pervading focus of the book, with its often lush descriptions of scenery conveying the thoughts and moods of characters.


Plot

Arthur Burton, an English Catholic, travels to Italy to study to be a priest. He discovers radical ideas, renounces Catholicism, fakes his death and leaves Italy. While away he suffers great hardship, but returns with renewed revolutionary fervour. He becomes a journalist, expounding radical ideas in brilliant satirical tracts published under the pseudonym "the gadfly". The local authorities are soon dedicated to capturing him. Gemma, his lover, and Padre Montanelli, his Priest (and also secretly his biological father), show various forms of love via their tragic relations with the focal character of Arthur: religious, romantic, and family. The story compares these emotions to those Arthur experiences as a revolutionary, particularly drawing on the relationship between religious and revolutionary feelings. This is especially explicit at the climax of the book, where
sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
descriptions intertwine with reflections on the Gadfly's fate. Eventually Arthur is captured by the authorities and executed by a firing squad. Montanelli also dies, having lost his faith and his sanity. It is debatable to what extent an allegorical comparison can be drawn between the Gadfly and Jesus.


Background

According to historian
Robin Bruce Lockhart Robert Norman Bruce Lockhart (13 April 1920 – 20 February 2008), known as Robin, was a British journalist, stock broker, and author. Biography Bruce Lockhart was the only son of R. H. Bruce Lockhart, a British diplomat, secret agent, journalis ...
, Sidney Reilly – a Russian-born adventurer and secret agent employed by the British
Secret Intelligence Service The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intellige ...
– met Ethel Voynich in London in 1895. Ethel Voynich was a significant figure not only on the late Victorian literary scene but also in Russian émigré circles. Lockhart claims that Reilly and Voynich had a sexual liaison and voyaged to Italy together. During this dalliance, Reilly apparently "bared his soul to his mistress," and revealed to her the story of his strange youth in Russia. After their brief affair had concluded, Voynich published in 1897 her critically acclaimed novel, ''The Gadfly'', the central character of which, Arthur Burton, was allegedly based on Sidney Reilly's own early life. In 2004, writer Andrew Cook suggested that Reilly may have been reporting on Voynich and her political activities to William Melville of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch. In 2016, new evidence surfaced from archived communication between Anne Fremantle, who attempted a biography of Ethel Voynich, and a relative of Ethel's on the Hinton side. The evidence demonstrates that a liaison of some sort took place between Reilly and her in Florence, 1895.


Popularity

With the central theme of the book being the nature of a true
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
, the reflections on religion and rebellion proved to be ideologically suitable and successful. ''The Gadfly'' was exceptionally popular in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, and
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, exerting a large cultural influence. In the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, ''The Gadfly'' was compulsory reading and the top best seller; indeed, by the time of Voynich's death, ''The Gadfly'' is estimated to have sold 2,500,000 copies in the Soviet Union alone. Voynich was unaware of the novel's popularity, and did not receive royalties, until visited by a diplomat in 1955. In China, several publishers translated the book, and one of them (China Youth Press) sold more than 2,050,000 copies. It was banned, however, after the
Sino-Soviet split The Sino-Soviet split was the breaking of political relations between the China, People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union caused by Doctrine, doctrinal divergences that arose from their different interpretations and practical applications ...
. Irish writer Peadar O'Donnell recalls the novel's popularity among Republican prisoners in
Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison ( ga, Príosún Mhuinseo), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed ''The Joy'', is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Edward Mullins. History ...
during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...
. The Russian composer Mikhail Zhukov turned the book into an opera '' The Gadfly'' (''Овод'', 1928). In 1955, the Soviet director
Aleksandr Faintsimmer Aleksandr Mikhailovich Faintsimmer (Feinzimmer, russian: Александр Михайлович Файнциммер; 31 December 1906 – 21 March 1982) was a Soviet film director. He has been cited as a filmmaker on the forefront of Russi ...
adapted the novel into a
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
of the same title (russian: link=no, script=Latn, Ovod) for which
Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...
wrote the score. '' The Gadfly Suite'' is an arrangement of selections from Shostakovich's score by the composer
Levon Atovmian Levon may refer to: Music * "Levon" (song), a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin * Levon & the Hawks, an original alternative name for The Band *Love for Levon, a concert held on October 3, 2012 in New Jersey as a tribute to the late drummer/sing ...
. A second opera '' The Gadfly'' was composed by Soviet composer
Antonio Spadavecchia Antonio Emmanuelovich Spadavecchia (russian: Антонио Эммануилович Спадавеккиа; born in Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport ...
. On the other hand, in Italy, where the plot takes place during the
Italian Unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
, the novel is totally neglected: it was translated into Italian as late as in 1956 and was never reprinted: '' Il figlio del cardinale'' (literally, ''The Son of the Cardinal''). A new edition, carrying the same title, came out in 2013.


Theatre adaptations

* 1898. '' The Gadfly or the Son of the Cardinal'' by
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
. This version was created at Voynich's request to forestall other dramatisations. * 1899. ''The Gadfly'' by Edward E. Rose, commissioned by Stuart Robson. Voynich described this version as an "illiterate melodrama", and tried to get an injunction to stop it being performed. * 1906. ''Zhertva svobody'' by L. Avrian (in Russian). * 1916. ''Ovod'' by V. Zolotarëv (in Russian). * 1940. ''Ovod'' by A. Zhelyabuzhsky (in Russian). *1947. ''Ovid'' by Yaroslav Halan (in Ukrainian). * 1974. ''Zekthi'' by
Esat Oktrova Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) is an Ethiopian satellite news network headquartered in Washington D.C., United States. It is a nonprofit and independent media outlet mostly privately funded by donors from the broader Ethiopian diaspora. ...
(Teledrama; in Albanian).


Radio adaptation

* 1989. ''The Gadfly'', BBC Radio 4, Saturday Night Theatre.


Opera, ballet, musical adaptations

*1923. ''
Prazdnik krovi Praznik or Prazdnik means ''holiday'' in several Slavic languages and may refer to *Darren Praznik Darren Thomas Praznik (born May 9, 1961) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governme ...
'', melodrama in 6 acts with a prologue by S. I.
Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
(opera) (in Russian). *1928. ''Ovod'' by Mikhail Zhukov (opera) (in Russian). *1930. ''Ovod'', opera in 4 acts by
Alexander Ziks Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
(opera) (in Russian). *1958. '' Ovod'', opera in 4 acts and 7 scenes by
Antonio Spadavecchia Antonio Emmanuelovich Spadavecchia (russian: Антонио Эммануилович Спадавеккиа; born in Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport ...
(in Russian). *1967. ''Ovod'' by A. Chernov (ballet). *1982. ''Rivares'' by Sulkhan Tsintsadze (ballet). Film version: ''Rivares'', Soviet Georgian, by B. Chkheidze. *1983. ''Ovod'' by
A. Kolker A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure of ...
(rock musical) (in Russian).


Film adaptations

* 1928. '' Krazana'', Soviet Georgian, by Kote Mardjanishvili. * 1955. '' Ovod'', Soviet, by
Aleksandr Faintsimmer Aleksandr Mikhailovich Faintsimmer (Feinzimmer, russian: Александр Михайлович Файнциммер; 31 December 1906 – 21 March 1982) was a Soviet film director. He has been cited as a filmmaker on the forefront of Russi ...
. Shostakovich composed its
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
. '' The Gadfly Suite'', which includes the movement ''Romance'', later becoming popular on its own right, is an arrangement of selections from Shostakovich's score by composer
Levon Atovmian Levon may refer to: Music * "Levon" (song), a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin * Levon & the Hawks, an original alternative name for The Band *Love for Levon, a concert held on October 3, 2012 in New Jersey as a tribute to the late drummer/sing ...
. * 1980. '' Ovod'' by
Nikolai Mashchenko Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...
, starring
Andrey Kharitonov Andrey Igorevich Kharitonov (russian: link=no, Андрей Игоревич Харитонов; 25 July 1959 – 23 June 2019) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor, director, screenwriter. He is best known for roles in films '' The G ...
,
Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...
and
Anastasiya Vertinskaya Anastasiya Alexandrovna Vertinskaya (russian: link=no, Анастасия Александровна Вертинская, born 19 December 1944, Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian actress, who came to prominence in the early 1960s ...
. * 1987. ''Rivares''. Soviet Georgian film of B. Chkheidze. * 2003. ''Niumeng'', Chinese, directed by
Wu Tianming Wu Tianming (; December 5, 1939 – March 4, 2014) was a Chinese film director and producer who was considered one of the leading "Fourth Generation" directors. Biography Wu was born in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province, China on December 5, 1 ...


Other adaptations

* 1976. ''Bögöly (Vihar Itália felett)'' (''The Gadfly (Storm over Italy)''), a condensed comic book adaptation which concentrated on the adventurous aspects of the novel, by Tibor Cs. Horváth and Attila Fazekas; published in Hungarian, and subsequently in Polish as ''Szerszeń (Przygody Artura i Gemmy)'' (''The Hornet (The Adventures of Arthur and Gemma)'').


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gadfly, The 1897 British novels Irish novels adapted into films Novels set in the 1840s Novels set in Italy Henry Holt and Company books British novels adapted into plays British novels adapted into television shows Novels adapted into ballets Novels adapted into operas Philosophy of mind 1897 debut novels