the_worst intentions_piperno
2009 Nominated

The Worst Intentions

artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

Daniel is the thirty-three-year-old heir to the dappled fortunes of the Sonninos, a wealthy Jewish-Italian family whose staggering rise and fall during the years spanning the end of WW2 and the beginning of the twenty-first century provides the richly colored backdrop to this remarkable tragi-comedy. Daniel has inherited his grandfather’s extravagant passions and his father’s servility, as well as the excesses of his social class. He is also victim of a crippling infatuation with Gaia, fountainhead of his erotic fantasies and fetishes. This novel will be justly compared to the works of Philip Roth and Saul Bellow. An audacious, sumptuous novel about ritual and liberty, love and war, sex and betrayal, set in the opulent neighborhoods of contemporary Rome

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Alessandro
Piperno

Alessandro Piperno, born in Rome in 1972, lectures in French Literature at the Roma Tor Vergata University. In 2005 he debuted with the novel Con le peggiori intenzioni. In 2012 he won the Premio Strega with Inseparabili, gave rise to the diptych Persecuzione (2010) dà vita al dittico Il fuoco amico dei ricordi, shortlisted for the Médicis and Femina prizes and winner of the Prix du Méilleur Livre Étranger. All his novels are published by Mondadori.

Alessandro Piperno, born in Rome in 1972, lectures in French Literature at the Roma Tor Vergata University. In 2005 he debuted with the novel Con le peggiori intenzioni. In 2012 he won the Premio Strega with Inseparabili, gave rise to the diptych Persecuzione (2010) dà vita al dittico Il fuoco amico dei ricordi, shortlisted for the Médicis and Femina prizes and winner of the Prix du Méilleur Livre Étranger. All his novels are published by Mondadori.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find any translators matching your search. Please try using different keywords or check back later as we regularly update our collection.

NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

Considered by many critics as the best literary debut of 2005 with nearly 200,000 copies sold in a few months, the books won the prestigious premium Campiello Prize.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
Italy
Original Language
Italian
Publisher
Europa Editions

RELATED FEATURES

News May 21 2026

2026 Dublin Literary Award Winner Revealed

Discover this year's winner!
Video May 16 2026

Brigitte Giraud – Live Fast Q&A

Q&A Session with 2026 Dublin Literary Award shortlisted author Brigitte Giraud, author of Live Fast, exploring the inspirations behind her novel.
Video May 12 2026

Laurent Binet – Perspective(s) Q&A

Check out our Q&A with Laurent Binet, author of shortlisted title Perspective(s), as he discusses the inspirations behind his work and reflects on the role libraries have played in shaping his journey
Video May 8 2026

Ali Smith – Gliff Q&A

Shortlisted author Ali Smith discusses the creative inspirations behind Gliff and reflects on the significance of libraries throughout her reading and writing life in our latest Q&A.

STAY CONNECTED

Stay in touch and sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and updates on the Dublin Literary Award.