A Coin In Nine Hands - Rilegato

Marguerite Yourcenar s story of Rome under the shadow of Mussolini is built around the tale of a failed attempt to assassinate the dictator. Around this she weaves the stories of nine people whose lives intersect through the passing from hand to hand of a ten-lire coin. As the skilfully constructed narrative unfolds we see how all the characters, from the whore and the flower seller to the rich doctor and the fading film star, are caught up in their own illusions and in the illusions engendered by Il Duce and his fascist state. One of Yourcenar s most distinctive works, A Coin in Nine Hands succeeds both as political fable and as a richly observed study of individuals striving to live their lives in a corrupt and morally bankrupt state.