Agnelli and the Network of Italian Power

by Alan Friedman

This is a controversial study of Agnelli and the network of Italian power. Friedman makes a series of startling allegations about Europe's most glamorous businessman and uncrowned king of Italy. The author was named "Young Journalist of the Year" in 1982. It is the story of a remarkable Italian dynasty, of intrigue and alleged improprieties at the pinnacles of international finance and politics; of dealings with prime ministers, with the White House, and the Pentagon and Moscow; and of the unholy alliances Agnelli has made with dictators such as Colonel Gadaffi of Libya. Above all, it is the story of a relentless drive to expand and crush the opposition. Agnelli's empire has been accused of skirting the edges of the law but some examples have never been documented. No Italian has dared to call into question Italy's "de facto" royal family, and many foreign journalists have been charmed and "sweetened" by Agnelli's people into silence.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, Business, Economics

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

È un giornalista esperto di economia e politica, conduttore televisivo e scrittore statunitense. All’inizio della carriera fu un giovanissimo collaboratore dell’amministrazione del presidente Jimmy Carter, poi è stato per lunghi anni corrispondente del «Financial Times», in seguito inviato dell’«International Herald Tribune» e editorialista del «Wall Street Journal». È conduttore e produttore di programmi televisivi in Gran Bretagna, Stati Uniti e Italia, dove ha lavorato per testate come RAI, Sky Tg24 e La7. Celebri i suoi scoop giornalistici e i numerosi riconoscimenti (è stato insignito per quattro volte del British Press Award, e del Premio Pannunzio nel 2014). Tra i suoi libri: Tutto in famiglia, La madre di tutti gli affari, Il bivio, Ammazziamo il Gattopardo (Premio Cesare Pavese), My Way. Berlusconi si racconta a Friedman (i cui diritti sono stati venduti in 30 Paesi). Il suo documentario su Berlusconi è stato distribuito da Netflix in 190 Paesi. In Italia è editorialista per «Il Corriere della Sera». Per saperne di più: www.alanfriedman.it

Reviews

[EMGEE · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this is quite the poor read.

After having read the author’s engaging 2015 portrait of Silvio Berlusconi, I was delighted to see that he had written a book about another fascinating Italian, Gianni Agnelli, and I managed to track down a copy of this out-of-print book.

First and foremost, it must be said that this book is the furthest thing from being neutral - the author has set out to discredit Gianni Agnelli. That aside, the tone with which Friedman elects to do so comes across as childish, bordering on gossip magazine.

Second, Agnelli and The Network of Italian Power reads like a financial document. Every chapter focuses on loan amounts, stock prices and severance packages ad nauseam - How the author managed to write a book this dry and sterile about someone like Gianni Agnelli is quite surprising.

Lastly, is the question of age. While many 32 year-old portraits, enquêtes and biographies hold up, this isn’t one of them. The book really shows its age, and for that reason alone, I can’t recommend it.

In the 27 years between his books on Agnelli and Berlusconi, it is clear that the author has refined his approach at dealing with subjects of controversy.

[Gianni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to look at the (still) reigning Italian family. The Avvocato is gone but the Agnelli's dynasty is still going strong. Being the author non-Italian really is the added value to this book. Very well researched, great photos.