Beati Paoli

by Luigi Natoli

The modest goal of this project is to introduce Luigi Natoli's Beati Paoli to an American audience. Below are links to a machine translation of the romance novel. Correcting the text into a proper translation is a task for a future agenda.

First published as a serial in Giornale di Sicilia in 1909-1910, Natoli's romance novel was an extraordinary success, across all social classes. And I think that the translation would be very popular in America too.

In my introduction, I compare the feudal society that Natoli describes to the society that America aspires to be – one where all people are equally protected by the law. In particular, I recommend Part 3 chapter 7 which articulates the ideology of the Beati Paoli and explains that the sect arose in response to the injustice that commoners face.

In feudal society, a commoner could not testify against a nobleman. So in Beati Paoli, Natoli describes how people respond when they cannot obtain justice from the courts. They form secret societies.

prologue

part one

part two

part three

part four