9 3 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 4 0 s . ▁The ▁following ▁American ▁authors ▁have ▁also ▁written ▁historical ▁nov els ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century : ▁G ore ▁Vid al , ▁John ▁Bar th , ▁Norman ▁Mail er , ▁E . L . ▁Doctor ow , ▁William ▁Kennedy . ▁ ▁Italy ▁In ▁Italy , ▁the ▁tradition ▁of ▁the ▁historical ▁fiction ▁has ▁fl our ished ▁also ▁in ▁the ▁contemporary ▁age , ▁and ▁moreover ▁the ▁Nin ete enth ▁century ▁has ▁caught ▁the ▁writers ’ ▁interest . ▁Southern ▁novel ists ▁like ▁Giuseppe ▁Tom asi ▁di ▁L amp ed usa ▁( The ▁le op ard ), ▁Francesco ▁I ov ine ▁( L ady ▁A va ), ▁Carlo ▁Ali an ello ▁( The ▁her itage ▁of ▁the ▁prior ess ) ▁and , ▁more ▁recently , ▁Andrea ▁Cam iller i ▁( The ▁Pr eston ▁bre wer ) ▁have ▁ret old ▁the ▁events ▁ ▁of ▁the ▁Italian ▁Un ification , ▁often ▁over turn ing ▁their ▁traditional ▁image , ▁hero ic ▁and ▁progress ive . ▁The ▁ ▁conserv ative ▁Ric c ardo ▁Bac ch elli ▁in ▁The ▁devil ▁at ▁the ▁long ▁point ▁and ▁the ▁commun ist ▁Vas co ▁Pr atol ini ▁in ▁Met ello ▁had ▁described , ▁by ▁two ▁ide olog ically ▁opposite ▁points ▁of ▁view , ▁the ▁birth ▁of ▁the ▁Italian ▁Social ism . ▁Bac ch elli ▁is ▁also ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁The ▁mill ▁on ▁the ▁Po , ▁the ▁powerful , ▁also ▁if ▁a ▁little ▁far rag in ous , ▁s aga ▁of ▁a ▁family ▁of