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The Body of Il Duce : Mussolini's Corpse and the Fortunes of Italy
A brilliant young historian follows the odyssey of Mussolini's body in an original exploration of the history and legacy of Italian Fascism
Bullet-ridden, spat on, butchered bloody: this was the fate of Il Duce, strung up beside his dead mistress in a Milan square, as reviled in death as he was adored in life. With Italy's defeat in World War II, the cult of Benito Mussolini's physical self was brought to its grotesque denouement by a frenzied, jeering crowd of thousands-one eerily similar to the cheering throngs that had once roared their approval beneath Il Duce's balcony.
In this groundbreaking work, Sergio Luzzatto traces the fortunes of the Fascist dictator's body: from his charisma, virility, and magnetic domination of Fascist parades, to his humiliating execution, the ugly display of his remains, and beyond. Buried, exhumed, stolen, and hidden for ten years, Il Duce's corpse was finally laid to rest, a shrine for fanatical followers. Through this pursuit, Luzzatto shows how in a totalitarian state the body of the ruler comes to incarnate the nation. And from the indignities visited on Mussolini's corpse, Luzzatto crafts a subtle social and intellectual history of a country struggling to become a republic and free itself from the thrall of Fascism.
Elegantly written and stunningly conceived, alive with never-before-published letters, diaries, and reports, The Body of Il Duce cuts a new and compelling path through twentieth-century history.
Bullet-ridden, spat on, butchered bloody: this was the fate of Il Duce, strung up beside his dead mistress in a Milan square, as reviled in death as he was adored in life. With Italy's defeat in World War II, the cult of Benito Mussolini's physical self was brought to its grotesque denouement by a frenzied, jeering crowd of thousands-one eerily similar to the cheering throngs that had once roared their approval beneath Il Duce's balcony.
In this groundbreaking work, Sergio Luzzatto traces the fortunes of the Fascist dictator's body: from his charisma, virility, and magnetic domination of Fascist parades, to his humiliating execution, the ugly display of his remains, and beyond. Buried, exhumed, stolen, and hidden for ten years, Il Duce's corpse was finally laid to rest, a shrine for fanatical followers. Through this pursuit, Luzzatto shows how in a totalitarian state the body of the ruler comes to incarnate the nation. And from the indignities visited on Mussolini's corpse, Luzzatto crafts a subtle social and intellectual history of a country struggling to become a republic and free itself from the thrall of Fascism.
Elegantly written and stunningly conceived, alive with never-before-published letters, diaries, and reports, The Body of Il Duce cuts a new and compelling path through twentieth-century history.
- GenresHistoryItalyNonfiction
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
7 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Sergio Luzzatto
49 books18 followersSergio Luzzatto is the author of Padre Pio: Miracles and Politics in a Secular Age, which won the prestigious Cundill Prize in History, and of The Body of Il Duce: Mussolini's Corpse and the Fortunes of Italy. A professor of history at the University of Turin, Luzzatto is a regular contributor to Il Sole 24 Ore.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 4, 2024
Some sections of this book were fascinating, other parts... not so much. It wasn't a very long book, but took me forever to finish (or get to the end where it got very interesting again). We'll... now I know a lot about what happened to Mussolini's body after death. Great dinner conversation material. Since I usually eat alone (my choice), I'll be sure to bring up this topic if ever I do find myself engaged in meaningless dinner conversation. I found sick pictures online, I should keep them in my wallet.
Read this book if you're a morbid person like me, and you really need to know everything about Mussolini's body post mortem.
Read this book if you're a morbid person like me, and you really need to know everything about Mussolini's body post mortem.
November 2, 2023
This is a brilliant and creative historical study about the importance of Mussolini's physical charisma when he was the dictator and about his posthumous career, as it were, focused on attitudes toward his humiliated and venerated body.
As you might remember, he was summarily executed by partisans, and then his body was hanged upside down at a gas station in Milan.
You have to know a lot more about postwar Italian politics fully to appreciate this book, but I know a lot more now than I did before reading it.
It was translated brilliantly by the late Frederika Randall.
As you might remember, he was summarily executed by partisans, and then his body was hanged upside down at a gas station in Milan.
You have to know a lot more about postwar Italian politics fully to appreciate this book, but I know a lot more now than I did before reading it.
It was translated brilliantly by the late Frederika Randall.
December 10, 2024
Plot is interesting. Writing is dry af. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace for this but it took me two weeks to read and I had to drag my eyes to the pages continuously.
Like a few other books for me this year, this one could have also been trimmed down. It was also organized in a manner I can understand but still wish was more chronological.
Like a few other books for me this year, this one could have also been trimmed down. It was also organized in a manner I can understand but still wish was more chronological.
December 23, 2021
One of the best books I'll likely read about Mussolini and Italian fascism. Very well written and researched, I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in Italian history of this time period.
January 28, 2020
I read the book in the German translation, which is not among the editions listed on Goodreads. It was published by “Eichborn Verlag” as part of the series “Die andere Bibliothek” (“The Other Library”), which is, in most cases, already an indicator for a quality book. And this is the least that can be said about Luzzatto’s captivating account of Mussolini’s body and its astonishing afterlife.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews