Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 — 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. "Zanoni" is a story of love and occult aspiration, which took place during the French Revolution. It is a remarkable novel about immortal magician, Zanoni, who cannot fall in love without losing his power of immortality; but he does fall in love with a mortal woman, Viola Pisani, a promising young opera singer from Naples.