The Silver Book A Novel
The Silver Book by Olivia Laing is a novel published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on November 11, 2025. This 256-page work is presented in English and explores the complex interplay of art, power, desire, and illusion in the context of the months leading up to the murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1975. Set against the backdrop of Venice and Rome, the narrative follows a young English artist, Nicholas, who finds himself entangled with Danilo Donati, a prominent figure in Italian cinema, as they navigate the world of film production.
Readers will discover a rich tapestry of themes, including the nature of identity and the impact of societal tensions during Italy’s Years of Lead. The story unfolds within the vibrant yet deceptive realm of Cinecittà, where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur. Laing’s work presents a queer love story intertwined with elements of a noir thriller, delving into the intricate relationship between artifice and truth. The Silver Book invites readers to reflect on the complexities of love and power within the cinematic dream factory.
Official synopsis Publisher
Art, power, desire, and illusion collide in a hypnotic new novel from Olivia Laing, set in the months leading up to the murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1975.
It is September 1974. Two men meet in Venice. One is a young English artist, in panicked flight from London. The other is Danilo Donati, the magician of Italian cinema, the designer responsible for realizing the spectacular visions of Fellini and Pasolini. Donati is in Venice to produce sketches for Fellini’s Casanova. A young apprentice is just what he needs.
He sweeps Nicholas to Rome and introduces him to the looking-glass world of Cinecittà, the studio where Casanova’s Venice will be ingeniously assembled. In the spring, the lovers move together to the set of Salò, Pasolini’s horrifying fable of fascism.
But Nicholas has a secret, and in this world of constant illusion, his real nature passes unseen. Amid the rising tensions of Italy’s Years of Lead, he acts as an accelerant, setting in motion a tragedy he doesn’t intend.
Olivia Laing’s The Silver Book is at once a queer love story and a noirish thriller set in the dream factory of cinema. It is a fictional account of real things, and an investigation into the difficult relationship between artifice and truth, illusion and reality, love and power.
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