Lampedusa, Giuseppe di, 1896-1957, Italian novelist. A wealthy Sicilian prince, Lampedusa drew on his family's history for his internationally acclaimed work, Il gattopardo, published posthumously in 1958 (tr. The Leopard, 1960). In urbane, elegant style, Lampedusa depicts the demise of an old, aristocratic society that came about with the unification of Italy. Lampedusa based much of his novel on Sicilian history as well as on autobiography. His only other work is Racconti (1961; tr. Two Stories and a Memory, 1962).