Il Duce's Other Woman

Rating:
Summary: Il Duce's Other Woman
Review: Two words aptly describe this work - "boring" and "slanted." The authors have chosen to write a biography of a relatively obscure person from history, Margherita Sarfatti who was a prominent art critic in Italy during the 20's and 30's and who also happened to be one of Benito Mussolini's many mistresses. All other biographies of Italy's Il Duce barely devote a sentence or two to Sarfatti but this one paints her as the mastermind behind Mussolini's creation of fascism and his rise to power. Unfortunately, the documentation provided to support this thesis is virtually nonexistant. Mussolini is portrayed as a pure brute with no mind of his own, hell-bent on the aquistion of power and the elimination of civil liberties. No mention is made of the score of public works that Italian fascism enacted and that resulted in the substantial increase of pre-war Italian standard of living. Instead, an inordinate and excessive amount of pages are devoted to Sarfatti's relationship to the futurist painters of early 20th century Italy. What is not apparent is the reason for selecting Sarfatti as the protagonist of this book. Perhaps the authors find irony in her Jewish ancestry and Mussolini's later anti-semitic laws once the Axis with Germany was formed. I wound recommend this book only for those interested in the history of 20th century Italian artists. Those interested in an accurate and objective account of the socio-political factors leading up to and involving Fascist Italy are advised to look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Il Duce's Other Woman
Review: Two words aptly describe this work - "boring" and "slanted." The authors have chosen to write a biography of a relatively obscure person from history, Margherita Sarfatti who was a prominent art critic in Italy during the 20's and 30's and who also happened to be one of Benito Mussolini's many mistresses. All other biographies of Italy's Il Duce barely devote a sentence or two to Sarfatti but this one paints her as the mastermind behind Mussolini's creation of fascism and his rise to power. Unfortunately, the documentation provided to support this thesis is virtually nonexistant. Mussolini is portrayed as a pure brute with no mind of his own, hell-bent on the aquistion of power and the elimination of civil liberties. No mention is made of the score of public works that Italian fascism enacted and that resulted in the substantial increase of pre-war Italian standard of living. Instead, an inordinate and excessive amount of pages are devoted to Sarfatti's relationship to the futurist painters of early 20th century Italy. What is not apparent is the reason for selecting Sarfatti as the protagonist of this book. Perhaps the authors find irony in her Jewish ancestry and Mussolini's later anti-semitic laws once the Axis with Germany was formed. I wound recommend this book only for those interested in the history of 20th century Italian artists. Those interested in an accurate and objective account of the socio-political factors leading up to and involving Fascist Italy are advised to look elsewhere.