An inveterate polymath, Riccardo Bacchelli had extensive and diverse cultural interests. His inquisitive nature and the enduring vitality of his works are of value not only to literary critics but also to historians, economists, sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, and even scientists. His fiction ranges in time frame and setting from the biblical era to ancient Rome, from the mercantile society of the thirteenth century to the middle class of nineteenth century and beyond--to World War I, World War II, and the age of astronauts. He also wrote in a variety of genres and was published as a novelist, short-story writer, dramatist, poet, critic, journalist, and editor.

Bacchelli was born on 19 April 1891 in Bologna. His father, Giuseppe Bacchelli, worked as a lawyer and an administrator in the provincial government and later as a congressman; he was particularly influential in the restoration of the most famous medieval buildings in the city...