Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863-1938) was an Italian writer and poet of the fin de siècle and a late romantic representative of symbolism. He is considered to be a source of ideas for Italian fascism and one of Benito Mussolini’s mentors, although he was never an avowed fascist or a member of the Fascist Party. Influenced in particular by Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner, D’Annunzio devoted himself to sensuality and the idea of the “superman” in his novels (for example Il Piacere, German Lust, 1889) and dramas as well as in his poetry, expressing his feelings in powerful language. D’Annunzio’s aesthetic style reflects his romantic nature and his eventful lifestyle, although today it seems largely over-the-top. D’Annunzio’s aestheticism is also reflected in his villa on Lake Garda, which is now home to a museum. From the book: “She herself was above suspicion, for she had shown examples of honesty and loyalty in this family for fifteen years. She had come from Ortona with Donna Cristina after her wedding, as part of her dowry, and now had a certain prestige in the house under the protection of her mistress. She was full of religious superstition and was blindly devoted to her patron saint and his church – and yet she was more cunning than most.” Contents: The Hero Sancho Panza’s Death The Bridge War Candia’s End San Pantaleone
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