Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction
Winner of the Costa Biography Award
**"Washington Post" Best Books of 2013**
**"Economist" Best Books of 2013**
This fascinating life of Gabriele d Annunzio the charismatic poet, bon vivant, and virulent nationalist who prefigured Mussolini traces the early twentieth century s trajectory from Romantic idealism to Fascist thuggery.
D Annunzio was Italy s premier poet at a time when poetry could trigger riots. A brilliant self-publicist, he used his fame to sell his work, seduce women, and promote his extreme nationalism. At...