Mastro don Gesualdo is a novel by Giovanni Verga published in 1889. It is considered one of his most important works and a masterpiece of Italian literature. The novel is set in Vizzini, Sicily, in the first half of the 19th century, a period of great social and political change. It tells the story of Mastro don Gesualdo, a wealthy landowner who tries to rise in social status by marrying a noblewoman. However, his ambitions are ultimately thwarted by the prejudices of the upper class and the changing political landscape.