St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-16
She Does Not at All Fear to
Treat Of Great Social
Evils.
How She Gained Her Knowl-
edge Of the Literature Of
the World.

DO0oo nv li0C1oly CalCCl Oy WllbllIE "
newspapers and magazines, but she be-
came celebrated by the novels which
she has given to the world during the
last twelve years. Her books are re-
markable as showing a broader interest
in social problems and a more fearless
way of attacking them than is the case
with the writings of most women
and many They are not
merely stories pure and simple, r~icitals,
that is, of what certain people did and
said on certain days, how they looked,
and so forth; they have a deeper raison
d'etre in that they deal with some queS-
ton of human and social life-they are
written with a purpose. At the same
time they are 81 interesting as to be
read eagerly by those who look for no
deeper meaning than a story of events.
Nine. SpeTani takes wide views of
things; sometimes. it is true, disagree
ing with the conventional standards.
She writes because she has something
to say, and goes straight to the point
with a simple. forcible ~directness which
carries you with her, making you at
ali events think about the matter
whether you agree with her conclusions
or not.
This was the case with a novel of
hers published at the beginning of the
present year. La Morte," in which
the authoreSs has treated most delicate
ly and skillfully a difficult social ques-
tlOn-One OF vital interest, moreover, to
society. which may be thus summed up:
Is a woman who has sinned against the
laws of society to be forever condemned
and unpardoned-ruined, in fact? The
book had many who agreed with its con-
cluSl0ns and many who condemned 1t,
but 1t was, at any rate, eagerly read.
The most important work of Nine.
Speranl is n published a few years
ago entitled "Numerie e Sogni" Mum
berS and DreamS), a story describing
the life OF a young painter, his struggles
with poverty, ill-succesS, and common
place acknowledgement the drama
of his domestic life. Adriano
is the son of humble parents,
who send their son to study paint
ing in Milan. Just when he has finished
his studies aud is beginning his career
as an artist, his father dies, and AGriano
goes home to devote himself to his
mother and sisters. sacrificing his own
inclination to remain among congenial
friends and brother artists in Milan. He
imagineS he will be able to follow out
| 1ltO lllCPlIttlOliO SfOD atllOnS UllC
prosaic details of a country shop, but
finds that all sorts of petty cares come
to absorb him and prevent him from
realizing his Own ideals. In obedience
to his mothers wishes, he marries Flo
mena, a good girl, but entirely devoid
of understanding and sympathy with
her husbands artistic pursuits. al
though she loves him devotedly. After
the first rosy flush of illusion has
passed o very great reality sets in, and
the two drift slowly butineyitably apart,
though without any outward and visible
~diSSenSion, almost unconsciOusly ac-
cepting their state of things as the usual
condition of married life. This goes on
until a certain Eugenie-a young girl
connected with the f~amily-cOmes to
live with them. She has a warm, ardent
character, full of talent and individual
ity, and looks up to Adriano as her
| guardian and protector, for she is alone
and friendleSs in the world. AS years
go Oh. in which Adriano watches over
her, and teaches her, he realizes that
she would have been his ideal-realizes
what love might be between two kindred
s~DiritS-and then the greatest struggle
of his life begins. Both Adriano and
Eugene are noble characters, and his
wife Filomena is a Self-Sacrificing, good
soul: but what solution is possible?: Eu-
genie determines the question by going
away. The book ends sadly for those
who love bright denouements, but it is
the only ending possible. The story is
wonderfully vivid and true to life.
Filomena comes out nObly when she
realizes the situation, and accepts the
sad truth that, without fault on either
side, Adriano. no longer loves her. and
tho Iowa naD ln onrnnpIInd naithnr hu
kindness, o duty. nor nobility of SEN
timent-'It bloweth where it liSteth."
Nine. Sperani shows wonderful insight
in pOrtraying, not only the outward cir
cumstances but the inner life OF all art
iSt; she shows his efforts to realize some
ideal conception-how he falls short,
often because the world with its absorb
ing interests ruSheS in to jar and fret
him-the moment of inspiration passes,
never to be r~ecalled-ne cannot write.
or paint. or compose to order.
A very pretty and interesting story
by Bruno Sperani appeared this sum-
mer as the feuilleton of a newspaper.
lie Ire Dome" (The Three Women
is a story of peasant life in L%ombardy,
giving a most graphic picture of the
joys and sorrows of the humble toilerS
IN the maize fields and i'll their homes.
IL ClQl utlClO VI ~ tlIOC hOlllCl
stand out admirably, as does that of the
young village priest, Don Giorgio, whose
love story, with its struggles IL temp
%tations, is of absorbing interest. He
ends by leaving the church and marry
ing the girl he loves. The book shows
real sympathy with the lives of the
p~easants-a true and affectionate I'M
derstanding of their hardshipS: it is
written with the simplicity and direct
ness, the entire freedom from affectation
and morbid sentiment, which character
ize Nine. Sperani's literary style. View
ing and Judging things from an almost
masculine point OF view, she preserves
a feminine delicacy and sympathy with
the fortunes of humanity.
Bruno Sperani is q native of Dalma-
tia. One of her short sketches, "Le
Due Case" The Two Houses, a charm
ing story of child life. gives us an in
teresting glimpse of her own childhood
OH the shores of the AdrIatic-a barren
and desolate region, but with a wild
beauty of its W in sea and sky and
distant mountains. Left an orphan at
an early age, the little girl was brought
up by two very sever old aunts, who
put as much restraint as possible upon
the warm. impulsive nature of their
niece. She loved to escape from the
dull. HOMOGENEOUS house and ramble on
the seashore in company with the old
dog Fiume and a few f~avorite play
mates. After such wanderings the re-
turn in the evening with torn frock
and other mishaps would be fol-
lowed by scolding and punish
ment. The house III town was still
more dull and moEotonous, for es-
capades i'll the country were then inn
possible: the only consolation was an
attic full of all sorts of odds and ends
fascinating to a childish heart. Among
the debris were books, and here Mime.
Sperani began to love literature. spend
ing many Il lonely hour in the company
OF Leopardi. O,sia1i. I~yanhee-a pell-
nell of fairy tales, novels, poems-alI
deyoured eagerly. Later she began to
write for newspapers IL magazines.
t%ranSlatlDg sometimes from foreign