Giuseppe Tomasi, 11th Prince of Lampedusa (1896-1957) was a Sicilian nobleman. (I hesitate in calling him a "writer", since apparently he didn't write very much, and never published during his lifetime.)

"Il Gattopardo" (The Leopard) is his main work, written shortly before his death and published posthumously in 1958. The book is the story (probably autobiographic to some extent) of a Sicilan nobleman and his family during the changes in Italian society happening between the 19th and 20th centuries: the unification of Italy lead by Garibaldi and the "fall" of aristocracy.

This is, of course, the original Italian version, which should be public domain in "life+50" countries like Canada.

(Thanks to mtravellerh for his help in checking this book)

All comments are welcome.

This is a wonderful novel. Thanks for uploading it, Jelby.
I've spent a fair amount of time in the past, looking for a PD English translation, without success. I'm sure that Italian-speakers will be grateful for this.

I've spent a fair amount of time in the past, looking for a PD English translation, without success.

You'd be quite lucky to find it. Since it was published in Italian in 1958, you'd need a translator who translated it, published it, and then died all the same year (or in a couple of years, if you can wait until 2010).