This episode of the Great Writers series focuses on Italian author Giuseppe Di Lampedusa. Born into wealth, this multifaceted Sicilian prince was also an astronomer and served in the armed forces. Lampedusa used his own family as a model for his epic novel &NFi;Il Gattopardo&NFi_; ("The Leopard"). It was posthumously awarded the Premio Strega and has since been recognized as one of the most important examples of 20th-century Italian literature.
In a backwoods cabin, a boy called Little Man lives with his dad (a trapper), his older sister Missy, and his younger sister Kid, who is feral, spends most of her time under the table, and can imitate the sound of any animal.
A technical problem aboard a transatlantic flight forces a plane to land in Porto Santo, the small island of Madeira's archipelago where, according to a legend, Christopher Columbus the 15th century navigator, lived for a while and entertained a sexual relationship with a widow and her nubile daughter.
When she receives word that her longtime platonic pal Michael O'Neal is getting married to debutante Kimberly Wallace, food critic Julianne Potter realizes her true feelings for Michael -- and sets out to sabotage the wedding.
In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a cold-hearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad: a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game.
