The second book in Bassani's acclaimed Romanzo de Ferrara series, The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles is a gripping and tragic study of the terrifying historical realities that can shatter the course of individual lives

'A tiny unguarded moment had cost him very dear. From then on, you can imagine, he feared ridicule more than ever'

Into the insular town of Ferrara, a new doctor arrives. Fadigati is hopeful and modern, and more than anything wants to fit into his new home. But his fresh, appealing appearance soon crumbles when the young man he pays to be his lover reveals the doctor's homosexuality in a public humiliation. As anti-Semitism spreads across Italy, the Jewish narrator of the tale begins to feel pity for the ostracized doctor and the fickle nature of a community changing under political forces becomes clear.

Translated by Jamie McKendrick