Author considers it a reminder of the evils of fascism; others criticize that he becomes a “rehabilitated” leader
Mussolini is taking over Italy’s bookstores. For weeks now, “M,” Antonio Scurati’s novel about the rise of the dictator Benito Mussolini, has been on the Italian bestseller lists. The book is being adapted into a major television series. And it has taken the Frankfurt book fair by storm, where Harper Collins has snapped up the English-language rights to the book. “In the Italian imagination, Mussolini remains a kind of totem, a figure of great charisma, a perverse national father whom we have learned to repress,” Scurati said.
The popularity of “M” could not fail to provoke a debate in Italy about the Mussolinian legacy. The author's defenders say the book is an important warning about the evils of fascism, particularly for young people. But in the opinion of critics, Mussolini's resurrection and reimagining for the 21st century highlights the dangers at a time when right-wing governments are being elected across Europe, including in Italy.
Book about Mussolini is invading Italian bookstores
The 839-page book gives the impression of a brochure with its spartan cover that features a black M on a white field. Although it is being marketed as a novel, it does not make a very clear distinction between a novel and a history book. The work consists of brief chapters, full of details and excerpts from historical telegrams, newspaper articles, letters and police reports. All direct quotes contained in the book are taken from historical sources, and Scurati said that most of the invention regarding the characters' inner thoughts was also based on these sources.
Some critics fear that the neutrality of Scurati's work, publicized as the first novel that tells the history of fascism “without any political or ideological filter”, could reintroduce Mussolini not as a historical monster, but as an attractive protagonist. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a researcher at New York University, described it as “a symptom” of Mussolini’s rehabilitation: “The history of fascism is a history of dictatorship, of the cult of personality of a leader,” she observed.
But Scurati, who calls himself an anti-fascist, says his book is a lesson in the history of anti-fascism disguised as a novel. “If fascism was an evil, if it introduced evil into Italy and Europe, this should flow naturally from the narrative”, he specified. The novel begins in the depressed Italy of 1919, and chronicles the fascists' unlikely rise to power. And it culminates with Mussolini's speech in Parliament, which historians consider the entry into force of his regime. “However, in a sense, this person is still at the core of Italian consciousness,” Scurati said.
In Italy, the birthplace of fascism, Mussolini never carried the same stigma as Hitler in Germany. The dictator still known today as Il Duce, enjoyed broad public support during the two decades of his rule, although he persecuted anti-fascists and Jews. In Italy today, some are willing to overlook all this in the name of the supposed social stability of the fascist era.
Italian neo-fascist groups, which experts say are attracting many young people, are holding demonstrations across Italy. In February, a dark comedy titled “I'm Black” saw Mussolini resurrected as a TV and YouTube sensation. Mussolini's villa outside Rimini has become a popular place where people hold weddings, while his tomb in Predappio attracts crowds of visitors. Scurati said that he received letters from young readers excited about his book, which, they say, held them more captivated than the history classes at their school.
“Young people do not belong to the culture of fascism, nor to the culture of anti-fascism. They are a tabula rasa,” said Antonio Tricomi, a professor at the University of Urbino, in Italy, who also teaches high school. But Tricomi is not at all optimistic about romance. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a good number of the readers of this book acquired it not because they shared the same anti-fascist feelings as the author,” he said, “but because they liked the figure of Mussolini.”
By Emma Johanningsmeier, The New York Times
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