Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa was an Italian writer born on December 23, 1896, in Palermo, Sicily. He is best known for his novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), published posthumously in 1958. The novel explores the changes in Sicilian society during the Risorgimento, the period of Italian unification, through the eyes of a declining aristocrat. Lampedusa came from a noble family and had a varied education, including studies in literature and philosophy. Despite his literary talent, he published little during his lifetime. His work gained significant recognition after his death, and Il Gattopardo is now considered a classic of Italian literature.