The Gadfly is an 1897 novel about a young revolutionary who fought during the 'Risorgimento', the war of independence against Austria that led to Italian unification in the nineteenth century. Written by the young Irish writer, composer and liberal socialist Ethel Lilian Voynich, the book became a Young Adult standard work avant-la-lettre in the Soviet Union and China during the 20th century. Some 10 million copies of it have since been printed and distributed in various languages (including English, Russian, Chinese and Italian). It has become a defining work for countless young people. The Gadfly vormt het kader voor mijn roman The Voynich Affair.
Read more info on The Gadfly on Wikipedia. The novel itself can be read here by clicking on the book cover on the right.
A Russian feature film can be seen on Youtube, Ovod, die op de roman is gebaseerd: