Letter from Garibaldi to Giovannioli My dear Giovannioli: Although I was too busy to read, I read your "Spartacus" at one sitting; it gave me ecstasy and admiration for you. I hope that my countrymen will appreciate the great value of this work, and, after reading it, will be convinced that unwavering fortitude is necessary if the sacred cause of liberty is at stake. You, a Roman, write of one, if not the finest period in the history of this great republic, but one of the most glorious, in which the proud rulers of the world had begun to sink into crime and licentiousness. However, no matter how depraved and corrupt this generation is, there have been many great figures among them, which is beyond the reach of any previous generation, any nation, or any period. comparable.

The greatest of all great men is Caesar, a famous philosopher once said.Indeed, Caesar's career makes the age you describe seem great. You sculpted Spartacus, the Christ who died for slaves, in the manner of Michelangelo.I, a freed slave, thank you for this and for the profound emotion I feel in reading your work. More than once tears welled up in my eyes, more than once I was deeply moved by the exploits of this freed gladiator, and more than once I regretted how short your novel was. Let our countrymen cheer up their spirits when they think of those great heroes who have died in the land of the motherland where there are no more gladiators and slave owners.

your faithful Giuseppe.Garibaldi Caparele, June 25, 1974