Friday, August 08, 2008

The Politico-Literary Life

My friend Michael offers a cautionary note on its perils:
In 1922, with Mussolini's power growing, some conservatives were hoping to derail him by encouraging his rival, Gabriele d'Annunzio, to give a speech advocating national unification. However, plans went awry when d'Annunzio was seriously injured falling out of the window of his villa overlooking Lake Garda. He was apparently under the influence of cocaine and fondling the sister of his mistress at the time.
--Christopher Duggan, The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796 (Allen Lane 2007)

Interesting review of Duggan here.

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