Giardino on Caravaggio

Looking for a new book? Interested in Italian art? By some miracle, do you have some free time on your hands this pre-final season?

If so, you should totally check out Professor Alessandro Giardino’s debut book, “The Caravaggio Syndrome: A Novel” after its official release on April 12!

Staying true to his Italian heritage and academic background, Giardino’s “The Caravaggio Syndrome” follows a student-teacher pair through their journey researching the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio masterpiece “The Seven Works of Mercy” while studying at a small liberal-arts college, mighty similar to SLU.

Giardino claims that while the essence of his book is hard to summarize – and thus, would be better understood by reading the novel in its entirety – any reader who opens the front cover will surely be taken on a journey that spans “space and time” due to a plot-line which flips between the modern storyline of the student-teacher pair, and the immersive 17th-century narrative set in Naples, Italy, where Caravaggio’s career took place. Giardino also touched on several of the novel’s most meaningful themes during his interview, including the “strenuous and strong” crux of female power, the meaning of freedom in accordance with his character’s respective positions throughout history, and the ever-ambiguous concept of self-identity.

As part of his writing process, Giardino notes that he challenged himself to produce a novel that pushed the mold of contemporary literature by crafting multi-dimensional characters and including elements from several cultures. He enjoyed using his professional research in a more out-of-the-box manner and hopes that readers will be able to pick up on the creative notes of his work. Already, he is outlining his next novel and plans to work on it more extensively during his sabbatical next year!

As far as takeaways go, Giardino encourages readers to use his novel as a tool to be introspective and ask deep questions, much like those posed by the 16th and 17th-century Italian figures who influenced him. Though this practice is beneficial to all, college is certainly a good time for some self-insight.

You know, as if you needed more incentive to get your hands on a copy. The novel is now available to purchase at the Brewer Bookstore.