The Pike

Resumen del libro

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 20th 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.

Biografía del autor

Lucy Hughes-Hallett, miembro de la Royal Society of Literature, es una afamada autora británica de biografías y libros de Historia. Es crítica literaria del suplemento cultural delSunday Timesy a lo largo de su carrera ha colaborado con distintos medios de comunicación y ha escrito para teatro y televisión.