THE MUSSOLINI ENIGMA - The Man. His Challenges. His Downfall.

Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique 2021; Prix du Nouveau Cercle de l'Union 2022; Le Point's list of the 30 books of the year 2021. "The" biography of Mussolini. A historical and literary event.

"This book is neither a biography of Mussolini in the strict sense nor a history of Italian fascism, but the first attempt — and not only in France — to try to unveil the "mystery" of a figure who truly resembles none of the dictators, of right or left, of the twentieth century, yet who, to a certain degree, embodies them all, from Lenin to Castro." (M. Serra)

An extremely complex man and political leader, riddled with contradictions, drawing his models from Napoleon then Caesar before becoming fascinated by Hitler, the Duce can give the impression of a tragic comedian in the Nietzschean sense of the term, and of a failed revolutionary. He nonetheless modernised his country and captivated Europe before sinking into degradation and the hatreds of a civil war taking over from the world war.

Maurizio Serra recounts this winding and fascinating destiny on the basis of impeccable documentation, in a fluent style rooted in the tradition of Italo Svevo, which has made his reputation through his masterly biographies of Malaparte and D'Annunzio.

A truly great book destined to make its mark.