Federico De Roberto’s novel The Viceroys is one of the classics of Italian realism. Originally published in 1894, it was not translated into English until 1962. This translation has recently been reissued by Verso, allowing a new generation to become acquainted with this lost 19th century classic.
The novel is a sprawling family epic set in Sicily at the time of Italian Unification (the Risorgimento). It centers around the Uzeda family, descended from Spanish nobility who served as royal representatives in Sicily (this ancestry is why the family is known as the “viceroys”). Throughout the narrative, profound changes occur in Sicily as the island is transferred from Bourbon control to that of the new Kingdom of Italy. The monasteries are dissolved, an Italian parliament is formed and democratic elections are held. Yet these events seem almost insignificant to the Uzedas, who are more concerned about retaining their position in the system, which they successfully do. While under the previous regime they represented the Spanish crown, under the new order they become parliamentarians, mayors and other local powerbrokers. De Roberto depicts a world in which, despite revolution and democracy, nothing really changes. An extremely unscrupulous and hypocritical family– more concerned with warring among themselves– is in power at the beginning of the narrative and remains in power at the end. As the foreword by Franco Moretti states: “all the Uzeda have to show is sickness onto death, impotent greed, and outright imbecility. The Viceroys is a superb lesson in how coarse and rancid the collapse of a ruling class actually is” (VII).
The novel opens with the death of Donna Teresa Uzeda, the family matriarch (known as the “Princess”). Her children and her husband’s siblings gather for the reading of the will and the reader quickly learns that their main concern is who will inherit the most. This concern with wealth is one of the major themes of the narrative and comes up over and over again. Throughout the rest of the novel, the reader becomes privy to the various family scandals, infidelities, and squabbles. While politics is occurring outside the family circle– the massive transformation from feudalism to a more representative system– the family continues to be concerned with staying on top. No matter what changes occur in the society around them, the Uzedas will find a way to use those changes to maintain their own position.
While the novel has a sprawling cast (so much so that there is a family tree included), if there is one main character, it would have to be Consolvo Uzeda, Donna Teresa’s grandson. During the course of the story, Consolvo goes from a young boy at his grandmother’s funeral to a man in his early thirties who becomes the town mayor and finally at the narrative’s conclusion a parliamentary deputy in the capital. He is a master of being all things to all people and having no principled beliefs other than winning at all costs. He is a royalist among royalists and a radical among radicals. Through depicting Consolvo’s hypocrisy triumphing, De Roberto is able to show his own pessimism about the changes brought about by Italian unification.
Like many 19th century novels, the narrative becomes occasionally melodramatic–suicide, madness and infidelity all feature. However, it remains an extremely compelling portrait of the ruling class at the time of great historical changes. I would highly recommend it to those who are fans of sprawling family epics. It is a novel that one can get lost in for days, being transported to a different world, fascinated by the lives of a wealthy, dysfunctional family.
Thoughts Of A Bibliophile 