Gabriele d'Annunzio's the Idolaters Summary

D'Annunzio was a dominant force in Italian literature in the late-19th and early-20th century. His works are generally characterized by sensuality and emotion, though the story presented here is an exception. He was influenced by a philosophical ideal similar to Friedrich Nietzsche's "superman"—a man who was not restricted by morality but achieved whatever he wanted regardless of how it might affect others.

As the story begins, the town of Radusa is perplexed and horrified by a red light which has lingered in the sky for days; it is the aurora borealis, but the townspeople do not know it. They consult an aged, emaciated man named Giacobbe, who was, they believed, something of a holy man. He incites the crowd with visions of judgment day and approaching doom. The people look for help from...