The Betrothed

ALESSANDRO MANZONI, a revered poet, novelist, and statesman, was born in Milan in 1785 and died in 1873. His masterpiece, I promessi sposi--The Betrothed--was groundbreaking for replacing conventional antiquated rhetorical forms with expressive and accessible prose. His innovative style won him a broad audience and powerfully influenced the Italian writers who succeeded him. About the Introducer: JONATHAN KEATES's works include the short story collection Allegro Postillions and the novel The Stranger's Gallery. He is the biographer of Handel, Purcell, and Stendhal, and is well known as a reviewer and writer on Italian culture and history. He teaches at the City of London School and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.About the Translator:  ARCHIBALD COLQUHOUN (1912-1964) studied at Oxford and the Royal College of Art and went to Italy to paint in the 1930s. In 1940 he became acting director of the British Institute in Naples and served as an intelligence officer during the war. He translated Giuseppi di Lampedusa's masterpiece, The Leopard, for Everyman's, and in 1954 wrote a biography of Manzoni.