THE TIMES BIOGRAPHY OF THE DECADE
WINNER OF THE 2013 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
WINNER OF THE 2013 COSTA BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR
The story of Gabriele D'Annunzio, poet, daredevil - and Fascist.
In September 1919 Gabriele D'Annunzio, successful poet and occasional politician, declared himself Commandante of the city of Fiume in modern-day Croatia. His intention - to establish a utopia based on his fascist and artistic ideals. It was the dramatic pinnacle to an outrageous career.
Lucy Hughes-Hallett charts the controversial life of D'Annunzio, the debauched artist who became a national hero. His evolution from idealist Romantic to radical right-wing revolutionary is a political parable. Through his ideological journey, culminating in the failure of the Fiume endeavour, we witness the political turbulence of early 20th-century Europe and the emergence of fascism.
In The Pike, Hughes-Hallett addresses the cult of nationalism and the origins of political extremism - and at the centre of the book stands the charismatic D'Annunzio: a figure as deplorable as he is fascinating.
- ISBN13 9780007213955
- Publish Date 17 January 2013
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 18 November 2013
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Fourth Estate Ltd
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 704
- Language English
- URL http://harpercollins.co.uk