▁mill ers , ▁from ▁Napoleon ▁to ▁ ▁the ▁First ▁World ▁War , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁ep ic ▁nov els ▁of ▁the ▁last ▁century . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 0 , ▁Um berto ▁E co ▁achieved ▁international ▁success ▁ ▁with ▁The ▁name ▁of ▁the ▁rose , ▁a ▁novel ▁set ▁in ▁an ▁Italian ▁ab bey ▁in ▁ 1 3 2 7 ▁and ▁readable ▁both ▁ ▁as ▁a ▁historical ▁mystery , ▁as ▁an ▁alleg ory ▁of ▁the ▁Italy ▁in ▁the ▁“ Year s ▁of ▁Le ad ” ▁and ▁as ▁an ▁er ud ite ▁jo ke . ▁The ▁E co ’ s ▁example , ▁like ▁the ▁one ▁of ▁Man z oni ▁before ▁it , ▁rela unch ed ▁the ▁interest ▁of ▁Italian ▁public ▁and ▁writers ▁for ▁the ▁genre ▁and ▁many ▁novel ists ▁ ▁who ▁till ▁then ▁had ▁cultiv ated ▁the ▁contemporary ▁novel , ▁turned ▁their ▁hand ▁to ▁the ▁stories ▁set ▁in ▁the ▁far ▁centuries . ▁So ▁it ▁was ▁for ▁Ful v io ▁Tom izza ▁( The ▁evil ▁coming ▁from ▁North , ▁about ▁the ▁Re formation ), ▁D acia ▁Mar ain i ▁( The ▁silent ▁duch ess , ▁about ▁the ▁female ▁condition ▁in ▁the ▁E igh teenth ▁century ) ▁and ▁Sebast iano ▁V ass al li ▁( The ▁chim era , ▁about ▁the ▁w itch ▁h unt ). ▁Among ▁the ▁writers ▁emer ged ▁in ▁the ▁last ▁years , ▁Ern esto ▁Ferr ero ▁( N ) ▁and ▁Val er io ▁Man fred i ▁( The ▁last ▁leg ion ) ▁worth ▁a ▁mention . ▁ ▁Bulg aria ▁F