Luca Desiato emerged as a novelist of note with the success in 1981 of Il Marchese del Grillo (The Marquis Grillo), his third novel. He had been active as a writer since the late 1960s, a few years after he returned from a long sojourn as a student in Argentina. Although his success is to be attributed largely to his historical novels, Desiato also dedicates himself to psychological and philosophical works. The release of the film based on Il Marchese del Grillo, starring the beloved actor Alberto Sordi, contributed to the writer's renown.

Born 13 November 1941 in Rome, Desiato in his early twenties went to Argentina, where he lived for nearly four years. In Buenos Aires he studied Hispanic literature, philosophy, and theology, and he met Jorge Luis Borges who, together with other Latin American writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, had a significant influence on...