The Pike

Summary

A biography of Gabriele D'Annunzio — Italian poet, war hero, aviator, seducer, and proto-fascist agitator — that traces how a single flamboyant personality helped invent the political theatre and cult of violence that would define twentieth-century fascism. Hughes-Hallett moves between close readings of D'Annunzio's writing and detailed accounts of his political adventures, including his seizure of the city of Fiume in 1919, to show how aesthetics and brutality became entangled in modern European politics. Recognised with multiple major prizes, the book stands as both an outstanding biography and a warning about the seductive power of charismatic authoritarianism.