The Leper of the City of Aosta

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The Leper of the City of Aosta

by
Xavier de Maistre

general information | our review | links | about the author

Title:	The Leper of the City of Aosta
Author:	Xavier de Maistre
Genre:	Dialogue
Written:	1810
Length:	28 pages
Original in:	French
Availability:	in Voyage around my Room - US
	in Voyage around my Room - Canada
	in Voyage autour de ma chambre - France

French title: Le lépreux de la cité d'Aoste
Translated by Stephen Sartarelli
The French text of Le lépreux de la cité d'Aoste is available online
Published in Voyage around my Room: Selected Works of Xavier de Maistre, which includes an Introduction by Richard Howard, Joseph de Maistre's 1811 Preface, as well as two other works by Xavier de Maistre:
- Voyage around my Room (see our review)
- Nocturnal Expedition around my Room (see our review)

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Our Assessment:

B : fine, brief piece

See our review for fuller assessment.

The complete review's Review:

       In The Leper of the City of Aosta Xavier de Maistre offers an account of an encounter he had with a leper in Aosta. It is a brief piece, largely presented in the form of a dialogue, in which de Maistre ("The Soldier") learns about the leper and his sad life.
       The leper lives in isolation, avoiding human contact, fearful of scaring people. He is a decent soul, tending his beautiful flower-beds (taking care never to touch the flowers, so that others can safely pick them). The leper also recounts the story of his sister, his only sometime companion, afflicted with the same dread disease, who passed away. Still, he is philosophical, and accepts his lot. The Soldier is sympathetic, trying to understand and help -- but the leper's world is a different one.
       The Leper of the City of Aosta is a fairly well-presented little piece, and it is quite affecting. Still, it is brief and a bit limited.

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Links:

Xavier de Maistre:

Biography from the Catholic Encyclopedia

Other books by Xavier de Maistre under review:

Other books of interest under review:

See Index of French literature at the complete review
See Index of Interviews, conversations, and dialogues

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About the Author:

Count Xavier de Maistre (1763-1852) pursued a military career, and also wrote several popular works.

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