Specifications
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
| ISBN 13 | 9780007213962 |
| Book Subtitle | Gabriele d'Annunzio, Poet, Seducer And Preacher of War |
| Book Description | WINNER OF THE 213 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION WINNER OF THE 213 DUFF COOPER PRIZE WINNER OF THE POLITICAL BOOK AWARDS POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR 214 WINNER OF THE 213 COSTA BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR The story of Gabriele D'Annunzio, poet, daredevil - and Fascist. In September 1919 Gabriele D'Annunzio, successful poet and occasional politician, declared himself Commandante of the city of Fiume in modern day Croatia. His intention - to establish a utopia based on his fascist and artistic ideals. It was the dramatic pinnacle to an outrageous career. Lucy Hughes-Hallett charts the controversial life of D'Annunzio, the debauched artist who became a national hero. His evolution from idealist Romantic to radical right-wing revolutionary is a political parable. Through his ideological journey, culminating in the failure of the Fiume endeavour, we witness the political turbulence of early 2th century Europe and the emergence of fascism. In `The Pike', Hughes-Hallett addresses the cult of nationalism and the origins of political extremism - and at the centre of the book stands the charismatic D'Annunzio: a figure as deplorable as he is fascinating. |
| Editorial Review | `Hard to beat ... a biographical tour de force ... a rich, voluptuous treat ... a triumph, the biography of the year' Robert McCrum, Observer, `Books of the Year' `[The Pike] dramatically extends biography's formal range to encompass a daunting theme' TLS, `Books of the Year' `This is a magnificent portrait of a preposterous character ... deplorable, brilliant, ludicrous, tragic but above all irresistible, as hundreds of women could testify. His biographer has done him full justice' Francis Wheen, Daily Mail `A cracker of a biography, an extraordinary story of literary accomplishment, passionate war-mongering and sexual incorrigibility... In less skilled hands this could have been a disaster; in fact it works wonderfully well' Spectator, `Books of the Year' `Beautiful, strange and original ... an extraordinarily intimate portrait' New Statesman `Hugely enjoyable ... Hughes-Hallett has a great talent for encapsulating an era or an attitude ...That almost 7 pages flew by bears testimony to how pleasurable and readable those pages were' Sunday Times `A splendid subject for a biography ... Hughes-Hallett dances her way through this extraordinary life in a style that is playful, punchy and generally pleasing ... In death, as in life, the amazing story of D'Annunzio is painted in primary colours, but with the darkest shadows' Observer `A riveting biography ... It must have been so tempting to be judgmental, but Hughes-Hallett allows us to judge for ourselves' Antonia Fraser, Daily Mail, `Books of the Year' `Not only an inspired telling of a life that becomes more repellent with each page, it illuminates early 2th-century Europe in brilliant, unexpected ways' Observer `Electrifying ... a fascinating portrait ... Hughes-Hallett relates his journey from romantic idealist to Right-wing warmonger with flair and insight' Daily Express |
| About the Author | Lucy Hughes-Hallett is the author of Cleopatra: Histories, Dreams and Distortions which was published in 199 to wide acclaim, and Heroes: Saviours, Traitors and Supermen, published in 24, which garnered similar praise. Cleopatra won the Fawcett Prize and the Emily Toth Award. Lucy Hughes-Hallett reviews for the Sunday Times. She lives in London. |
| Language | English |
| Author | Lucy Hughes-Hallett |
| Publication Date | 24 July 2014 |
| Number of Pages | 704 |
The Pike : Gabriele d'Annunzio, Poet, Seducer And Preacher Of War Paperback English by Lucy Hughes-Hallett - 24 July 2014
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