Eugenio Montale, the Fascist Storm, and the Jewish Sunflower uncovers one of the great hidden sagas of modern literature. During Italy's fascist period, Eugenio Montale - winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature and one of the greatest modern poets in any language - fell in love with Irma Brandeis, a glamorous and beautiful Dante scholar and an American Jew. While their romance would fall apart, it would have literary repercussions that extended throughout the poet's career: Montale's works abound with secret codes that speak to a lost lover and muse.

This study is the...

Eugenio Montale, the Fascist Storm, and the Jewish Sunflower uncovers one of the great hidden sagas of modern literature. During Italy s fascist period, Eugenio Montale winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature and one of the greatest modern poets in any language fell in love with Irma Brandeis, a glamorous and beautiful Dante scholar and an American Jew. While their romance would fall apart, it would have literary repercussions that extended throughout the poet s career: Montale s works abound with secret codes that speak to a lost lover and muse.

This study is the first...