L'Eredità dei Vivi by Federica Sgaggio

 L'Eredità dei Vivi

by Federica Sgaggio is the story of a girl, Rosa. Rosa at the beginning of the 1950s decides to leave the South of Italy where was born in, for affording in the North.

The narrating voice of this book is her daughter that will tell us the existence of her mother. An  hard lady under many aspects, who suffered a lot, there is to say. The daughter in fact is fine, but Rosa has had another son, this time disabled and this episode will mark her existence.

She will fight with all herself for keeping decent her life, and the one of his son. She will move on from her husband, having constantly a bad relationship with her daughter.

This one is also a book where, intersecated there is the political story of our Italy seen under the various decades: the 50s still hesitants, the 60s characterized by the economic boom, the 70s, violences and terrorism, the '80s illusion of a never end lightness and the birth of privatizations, the 90s empty of values.

A beautiful book for everyone in love for memoirs.

I thank Marsilio for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

 

Scavengers of Beauty by Philippe Sibaud

 Scavengers of Beauty

by Philippe Sibaud is an unconventional book on Moon and its symbolism. Starting from his personal experience, a taxi taken somewhere and the chat with the cabdriver, Sibaud, started to be attracted by these thematic.

The book examines the symbolism that there is in our existence modelled thanks to the Moon. It is implied that the sun and the Moon bring with them several messages as also remarked Campbell in his solarization. In this book comparisons between sun and moon symbolism mixed with some most beloved greek myths will appear often. Original, divided in chapters, and parts, written with a captivating style, trust me when I tell you this: you won't never look at Moon in the same way!

Recommended!

I thank John Hunt Publishing for the physical copy of the book

Anna Maria Polidori

Petite histoire de la librairie française by Patricia Soreil

 French people read a lot. People less in love with this activity read something like six books per year, that, anyway is an acceptable number, but the protagonists of these pasts months, have been and continue to be french bookstores.

They didn't want the lockdown of libraries, the third one should start soon; they fought with all themselves for keeping alive and active their stores. 

An amazing and let me add, beautiful picture of a long line of people waiting to enter in a bookstore just before the beginning of the second lockdown was posted on the net and made history. French people are in search of culture during the periods of confinement; and it is estimated that many more books have been sold in 2020, if compared to 2019, "thanks" to the lockdowns.

Not only. Some french publishing houses decided to revoke their contracts with Amazon, for helping local bookstores, and, at the same time, permitting to people of going out, entering in a bookstore, buying what they want, having a real contact with someone. Or, buying online but in other channels, like online french bookstores.

But...

Do we know the history of french bookstores?

Follow me. I recently requested a book called  Petite histoire

de la librairie française by Patricia Soreil and thanks to her we will discover this fascinating world. 

Commerce of books in France started when universities were born, both in England than in France, in 1200 and in this sense we saw the first apparitions of bookstores close to the universities, because books, better manuscripts, were necessary to students and teachers. Then, it was possible to see bookstores close also to cathedrals and in the cities.

Confraternietes of book sellers became many: la confrérie de Saint-Jean-Porte-Latine  was created in 1401 and stayed active till at the end of XVIII century. 

The invention of print created a revolution and meant also a completey different change of role of the owner of the bookstore: commerce became a reality thanks to the production of always more titles.

An atelier of books could have something like 14.000 books. Of course not all the stores were so rich or overwhelmed but all of them were characterized by specific topics where you could find what you were searching; religious topics, law, new editions, Bibles, commentaries about the Holy Word, everything you could think at.

But let's see how bookstores implemented their business.

The case of  Michel de Vascosan is emblematic. Pierre Duipuys, would have brought at Toulouse the books of his uncle and the ones of other parisien bookstores. He opened a boutique, sold them at the prices decided receiving a commission of the 15%. Every year he sent the money realized at de Vascosan. 

French people always more enthusiastic of books starting also to import from Italy and in particular from Venice and Florence and then Spain, Portugal, London, Ginevra.

All Europe.

It wasn't so simple to become the owner of a bookstore; in the mid 1600s it was important having spent 4 years of apprenticeship if new of the environment. 

Then a sort of exam at the chamber of commerce where they asked questions like "Quelles sont les belles éditions connues en librairie ancienne et moderne ? Quelles sont les qualités d’un bon libraire?" Which are the most beautiful editions known old and modern? Which are the qualities of a good bookseller?" 

Women these past centuries couldn't become owners of a bookstore, but if their husband, owner of a bookstore died, then, yes it was their turn! also considering that maybe there were children who needed to be fed up. Same was for unmarried girls when their father died.

At the end of the Ancient Regime bookstores in Paris were located in the latin part of the city, but also at the galeries du Palais of Justice. In general customers were members of the university, members of the clerk, or aristocrats; in the while a novelty published in the XVIII century could count 500-1000 copies.

Little cities, marginal places couldn't count in a great abundance of books, novelties and sometimes that bookstores lived miserably their existence.

Close to the 1800, bookstores were in grade of having books about Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Buffon but also of philosophy, history, travel, law, military art, agriculture, botanic, medicine, chirurgy, pharmacy, chimic, architecture, science, poetry, eloquence, geography, astronomy and more. 

Most of these books could also be found in different languages for meeting the desires of every customer. 

An interesting character was the one of the colporteur. These men started their activity in the XVII century but were more known in the XVIII century: they were the ones who, just with a big bag, a knapsack, went in very remote little villages bringing to these people books. These "vagabond merchants" were the only connections that these little and isolated villages and their people, had with culture and books.

Polemics started to be ferocious against these characters; itinerants or sedentaries, they established a big competition, bringing also with some pamphlets with dangerous messages to the population; refolutionary ones. Some things needed to be done. Plus it was important to remark the prestige of a bookstore.

French Revolution abolished censorship and in 1791 was established the freedom of commerce and suppression of corporations. 

Said in this way you could think that there was much more freedom but, of course, it was the opposite.

In that historical moments bookstores thanks also to that unwanted books of the men of the new republic, disn't breath a good air. Books of religion remained in bookstores, and what it was printed were in particular booklets regarding the propaganda of the new regime. If publishing houses or bookstores kept other books and were discovered punishment could be the existence or jail for several months.

With Napoleon there will be a new regulation, pretty complicated, and just with Louis XVIII censorship will be abolished and publishing houses could print everything at their risk and  danger.

The XIX century bookstores meant a new success thanks to a highest standard of scholarization and the industrial revolution. Bookstores are located in big cities but also in little villages. Just Paris in 1816 counts 330 "librairies" 550 in 1846.

A practice pretty known started in every bookstore: readers could read a book, if they couldn't buy it because pennieless in the store. 

Some bookstores-publishing houses had remarkable amount of books. Let's see what happened at Claude Brunot-Labbé, both publisher/bookstore; when he died left behind 340.000  books – 153 000 about education, 66 000 classics, 64 000 literature... for naming some numbers.

Flammarion at the end of the XIX century became the biggest bookstore of Paris: the publishing house has a big bookstore in the Odeon and other four places. Colporteurs continued their activity, with a strong opposition of the bookstores also in the XIX century.

At the end of 1800 was also great commerce with England from established bookstores.

Le cabinets des Lecture was a reality born in some bookstores, an activity for men and women. In general people spent there several hours per day, writing, reading, taking notes. Prices were not excessive. 

These cabinets started to end during the 1850s when it was possible to buy books at a good price.

In the while in 1915 Adrienne Monnier the companion of Sylvia Beach, opens her suggestive La Maison des Amis des Livres. In 1920 there were 580 subscribers. The arrival of the paperback will destroy these realities in the 1950s.

Other battles for bookstores are at the horizon, at the end of 1800, beginning of the XX century: the advent of almanacs, guides of different kind also in kiosks. After a fight, just very cheap material could be continued to be sold in the kiosks.

Another war was fought against popular magazines who could publish weeks after weeks chapters of famous books.

The XIX century closed with the crisis of bookstores because of the arrival of books at cheap price changed again the market. 

Many more books were published at the end of 1800 century, beginning of the XX, and they were published in great abundance.

There is the arrival of a good news: the creation of the Chambre syndicale des libraires

de France and the one of the Syndicat des éditeurs for working better.

Thanks to these new organs new prices are established, for putting order.

There was who suggested the creation of a school for future booksellers.

These courses started only in 1906. 

During the first world war there was a strong reduction of publication because of lack of paper and different other problems of organization. After the war in 1919 anxiety is the dominant sentiment but something remains firm in the field of bookstores: the preparation and formation of a true bookseller is indispensible.

A bookstore in this sense made the difference: the one of Adrienne Monnier. Adrienne didn't start this activity because she made courses, and she wasn't "prepared" for managing a bookstore, but her reality attracted the most important and influentials writers of that period: Guillame Apollinaire, Léon-Paul Fargue, André Gide, Paul Léautaud, Jules Romains. Thanks to her reviews she made great publicity to several authors.

Her companion Sylvia Beach in 1919 opened Shakespeare and Company. It would have attracted Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and all that anglophone universe emigrated in Paris because a place more free. In the USA that ones were the years of the prohibition and who could go somewhere else, did it.

James Joyce, thanks to Sylvia Beach published his Ulysses. 

There was something that changed in positive: bookstores could remain opened all the time they wanted, also on sunday.

They were just apparent calm years that ones, because the advent of the second world war re-put in bad conditions the situations of bookstores.

Places were destroyed, there was much more disorganization because of the conflict. In 1940 was created an organization for helping the bookstores in difficulty.

Another law introducted was this one: all the books sent to bookstores and not sold, and with faculty of returning them, became property of the publishing house.Some bookstores decideed of selling their activities. The cases of d’Alexandre

Loewy and the bookstore Lipschutz were emblematic.

Although the difficulties, 1943 was a very good year for bookstores, because people wanted to read much more. At the same time the market established new way for reaching with new formats, new books, readers.

After the war the re-launch of bookstores was the first thought for bookstores owners. 

There were e new fights that bookstores had to win. 

First of all after the war someone thought that the market was in misery and the job a vocational one.

Problems were books sold in supermarkets and other places as well , a big danger for bookstores.

Not all the bookstores had the same mission: some of them are for cultivated people, other ones wanted to attract a largest number of people.

Bernard Gheerbrant, said once that "the bookstores as they are at the moment are an anachronisme; the bookstore with an American touch, searching for new readers at home is the future." 

For promoting bookstores in 1950 was launched the Sélection des libraires de

France a monthly bulletin with the latest novelties. That year the bulletin counted in 700 subscribers. 

In 1955 was created the prix des Libraires.

Hachette re-launched (the golden age was during the Belle Epoque) Le Livre de Poche. For a little price great readings and space saved at home :-) if you are overwhelmed by books. 

Who were the readers of Livre de Poche or paperbacks said in english? 

Substantially people that couldn't buy a hardback or a biggest format because too expensive. The beauty of the Livre de Poche is the democratization of reading. Students of all ages prefers the Livre de Poche and although not all bookstores think that the re-introduction of this new format could be good, it was revolutionary.

Thanks to a different world, TV is seen as another enemy from the owners of bookstores, there are more possibilities of winning prizes because of competitions organized by big publishing houses for promoting their products.

In 1980 the birth of Livres Hebdo.

Fnac becomes a great reality in the while. 

Born in 1974, they have very large stores.

50 people at first worked there; they had 120.000 titles witrh a stock of 550.000.

With the time Fnac opened always new "supermarket of the books", we could call them; Fnac was seen by bookstores like another profound changement, so every bookstore discovered  a modernization also thanks to the birth of Fnac.

Books became in the 1980 a product bought massively by everyone; books became always more; for french people this one was a daily product, pretty consummed by everyone. 

Yes, there were some differentiations: robust, strong readers, while some others more "modest" readers more "disordinated" in their choices.

It's in 1981 that a new important law marks the destiny of publishing houses and bookstores: from 1982 in fact publishing houses will establish the cost of books;  retails can discount at a price not superior at the 5%, clubs can sell books with subscriptions at an inferior price, but not the first editions. 

As you will read there will be new fights and the normative will be again changed in 1985, and the unique price become the biggest problems of these decades.

Publishing houses didn't want the practice of books too discounted and once they decided to boycott all that realities suspected of fraudolents practices. The publishing houses were: Albin Michel, Calmann-Lévy, La Découverte, Denoël, Flammarion, Gallimard, Gründ, Hachette, Grasset, Fayard, Mazarine, Le Chêne, CIL, Lattès, Stock, Éditions n o 1, Le Livre de poche, Larousse, Mercure de France, Minuit, Nathan, Payot, Le Robert, Robert Laffont, Quid, Seghers, Sélection du Reader’s Digest, Le Seuil 373 .

At the moment there are 2500 - 3 000 traditional bookstores; sure the  biggest ones, or the "supermarkets" of the books made the difference in this sense leaving fragile realities more weak than not during the decades before.

The net is another problem because the book-market became an  online reality  as well.

So bookstores decided to mixing the work; and most of them now sell their books also online. 

The only object that resisted at the revolutionary advent of the net has been the book; the net has been lived by french owners of bookstores little or big as a stimulating medium for reinventing their spaces, physicals or...online ones.

Extremely clear, this book is for everyone in love with books! 

I thank La Fabrique Editions for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori

 

Le Grand Amour de Marie-Antoinette Lettres Secrets de la Reine et du Comte de Fersen by Evelyn Lever

 I have, since little, been fascinated by Marie-Antoinette. Queen of France; if Marie-Therese, her mother was considered a remarkable and great stateswoman, Marie-Antoinette has always been classified as a frivolous person, a person who lived mainly in a dreaming, beautiful world  disconnected by the reality of his people.

She married at just 14 years Louis XVI a boy not incredibly beauty or attracting, unfortunately pretty shy; someone she didn't like. 

Time ago watching in an italian cultural program dedicated at Marie-Antoinette by Alberto Angela, Ulisse, I understood that there was evidence of a strong correspondence between her and Axel Von Fersen, the biggest love of her existence. Not only: that they are working for deciphering some letters. 

When I discovered that Editions Tallandier published a book only dedicated to the topic I tried to ask for a book review copy and grazie, grazie, grazie, they sent me that!

Le Grand Amour

de Marie-Antoinette Lettres Secrets de la Reine et du Comte de Fersen by Evelyne Lever is a wonderful discovery. The first Eleven Chapters treats the existence of Marie-Antoinette, and her love-affair with Fersen, the final part is dedicated to the letters exchanged by the lovers in particular during the years 1791-1792.

Symbol and one of the most iconic characters of a disappeared world, profoundly hated by its citizenship, Marie-Antoinette  accumulated, when she died also the phantomes and secrets of the old regime, "thrown away" by the arrival of the Republic. The myth of a queen absolutely insensible at the requests of the third state, meant for the republicans the justification for having killed her. 

In that existence, lived as we said before in extreme luxury and in a continuous fairy-tale is innested the story with a Swedish man who would have made the difference in the existence of Marie Antoinette: Axel Von Fersen.

It's only at the end of the XIX century that there is the possibility of seeing the first correspondence of Marie-Antoinette thanks also to mister de Klinckowström, a relative of von Fersen; he published some of  the correspondence of his ancestor Axel von Fersen with Marie-Antoinette, in particular the one from 1791-1792.

A lot of French people immediately were more than interested to see the rest of letters, if a real correspondence between the two existed, but the man, exasperated, and feeling a lot of pressure, told that he had burned all the rest.

In 1982 the descendants of mr de Klinckowström revailed that the letters existed; they were not burned and they have been bought by the Archives nationales de France. The author confesses that she has been one of the first of seeing them in person.

Considering the crypticity that some letters contains in 2014 three institutes started to collaborate together: les Archives nationales, la Fondation des sciences du Patrimoine and the Centre de recherche sur la conservation.

Let's try to reconstruct some bit this love and existence of this unlucky lady. 

First of all Marie-Antoinette.

Marie-Therese, the mother of Marie-Antoinette represented in Austria the christian morality and she has been a strong and beloved statist. 

Little Antonia, Marie-Antoinette later, was a gracious and little baby when born. She had miriads of other siblings. An anedoct: one day Mozart, performed for the royal family and the little Marie-Antoinette promised him of marrying him.

When the hypothesis that Antonia could become queen of France always more realistic the first worry of Marie-Therese was the lack of culture of her daughter. It was a marriage created, this one, for establighing a good relationship between the two countries; sure worries were a lot; Marie would have abandoned forever her country, language, people, at a little age, just 14 years. Was it indispensible? Marie-Antoinette once in France and married with Louis XVI has always lived with an internal torment that wouldn't never ceased.

The frank, honest and sunny character of Marie-Antoinette conquered immediately Louis XV, the father of the Dolphin.

Louis XVI appeared like a shy person although with a solid education; he talked english fluenty, he knew some words of italian, he had studied history, french literature, but the couple started to develop at long a problem: they could not consum the wedding.

Marie-Antoinette didn't love her husband but proved for him a profound friendship and respect. It was impossible in the past an union of love, in particular between princes and princesses. Theese marriages were created for cementing alliances, trying to avoid wars and  also for keeping the various countries more strong.

On 26 april 1774 Louis XV fell sick. It's smallpox. It is a straining moment this one for the french monarchy. Everyone guessed that the king wouldn't have passed this moment. Isolated in other branches of the castle of Versailles for avoid smallpox when the king died, they said: « Mon Dieu protégez-nous, nous sommes trop jeunes pour régner ! » "God, protect us, we are too young for this role."

Louis XVI is still too shy, and Marie-Antoinette lives inebriated of freedom!

Louis XVI is too weak for asking to his wife to be more moderated; after all he is happy of making her happy realizing every desire; parties and whatever she would have wanted.

Le Petit Trianon, donated by the king to his wife becomes her personal kingdom.

Marie-Antoinette doesn't develop any kind of political ambition, she wants just to be loved, admired by everyone. The most conservative ones starts to criticizing Marie-Antoinette and her behavior.

Of course the life-style started by Marie-Antoinette means also spending a lot of public money, and France when Louis XVI become king lives in great sufferance; common people are starved. Marie-Antoinette becomes the lady more well-dressed of the entire France; she wants to be a desiderable woman.

Unfortunately Marie-Antoinette because, after all, pure as said once the brothers Goncourt, and ingenuous, will fall in the trap of some manipulative people like De Benseval and later madame De Polignac. Polignac will manipulate poor Marie-Antoinette in many different ways. 

Marie-Therese, the mother of Marie-Antoinette is always more worried. What she hears are news of a queen all taken by beautiful dresses, dances, false ladies close to her just for opportunity, an existence, that one spent by Marie-Antoinette avoided by her severe mother. 

She wrote to her daughter in a worried letter: 

"We are in this world for making some good to the other ones. Your mark is one of the most essentials. We are not people that must live for themselves, or just for entertaining ourselves, but for the acquisition of Heaven, where everythings tends, and that it is not gratis: it must be earned."

Marie Antoinette couldn't think for once at the pleasures of Heaven, just at the most material ones.

Polignac becomes for Marie-Antoinette her biggest confident, and it was pretty dangerous to her. She opened to the friend and lady of company her thoughts, her hopes, she talked of her problems with the king not understanding that the other one had other purposes. 

In the while Joseph one of his siblings affords to Paris for meeting again his sister and the french royal family. He finds a beautiful environment and Marie-Antoinette is visibly happy to see again someone of her old family. Joseph will also investigate the problem of Louis XVI and later Marie-Antoinette will communicate to the mother that the wedding was consummed and in 1778 they waited  their first baby.

Fersen arrived in the existence of Marie Antoinette on January 30 1774. Oh, Axel Von Fersen was bewitched by Marie Antoinette. He returned to Sweden for four years never forgetting her and always asking to himself  if Maria-Antoinette remembered him.

In august 25th that Marie-Antoinette re-meet again the stunningly beautiful Axel Von Fersen.

She remembered him! She had previously met him 4 years before! What a joy! to see him again!

Marie-Antoinette's first baby was a daughter called Marie-Therese and life soon returned to the normality. 

A normality, this time, involving Fersen as well. 

The queen is fatally attracted by him but the man is scared of a potential relationship and what it would mean to him if discovered.

Marie-Antoinette talks of this problem with Polignac the most intriguing lady existing in the world. Very soon everyone knew that Marie-Antoinette was in love for Fersen. In the while Fersen leaves for join the American expedition and war. 

The book illustrates very well also the policy of that decades, the european equilibrisms, the USA but  also the family Fersen, his studies, his trips, his girlfriends.

When they are not together and Fersen somewhere else, he will write letters addressed at a certain Josephine...

Of course everyone knew the affaire between Marie-Antoinette and Axel von Fersen. The second child a son, born on 1785, maybe was the son of Fersen, people whispered insistently.

Was this one the son of Fersen? Marie-Antoinette betrayed the King and the monarchy? It's not impossible to exclude this option.

What did Fersen write to the Queen? The most diversified topics, from foreign policy to light subects, declaring his immense love for her.

At the same time Marie-Antoinette's reputation is completely ruined by the so-called scandal of the collier; the queen didn't know anything of this story, but it was organized pretty well. The cardinal of Rohan didn't know what he was doing, when "bought" this jewel for Marie-Antoinette as if the transition needed also the role of an important and eminent man of the church. Marie-Antoinette was scandalized. De La Motte was an ambitous girl in grade of cheating at several levels the poor cardinal. 

During this storm, at some point, the King discovers the love letters of Marie-Antoinette and Von Fersen, but he loves her and he can't help himself.

The two lovers starts to be more prudents with their correspondence.

We are close to the end. The convocation of the États généraux means the end of the monarchy and the beginning of the Revolution.

When the Revolution starts, the royal family is confined at Le Tuleries. Under many ways Fersen has written the destiny of the royal family, asking them to try to escape from there; the royal family will be later captured at Varennes.

Marie-Antoinette in 1792 in his letters to Fersen " Adieu, le plus aimé des hommes. Calmezvous si vous pouvez, ménagezvous pour moi. Je ne pourrai plus

vous écrire, mais rien dans le monde ne peut m’empêcher de vous adorer." She speaks at Fersen as the most loved man, but also of the danger of keeping alive this correspondence; she adds that she wouldn't want to write him anymore but no one in the world can prevent me from adoring you."

Marie Antoinette speaks like a lover, not like a close friend.

Few days after the death of Marie-Antoinette Fersen writes in his journal: « Ce jour était un jour mémorable et terrible pour moi, c’est celui où j’ai perdu la personne qui m’aimait le

plus au monde et qui m’aimait véritablement. Je pleurerai sa perte toute ma vie et je sens que tout mon sentiment pour El. ne peut me faire oublier tout ce que j’ai perdu. »

Fersen is desperate. Marie Antoinette was the only person who had loved him the most and  realistically. Fersen feels that he has lost everything and understands that "All my feelings for her can't let me forget what I have lost forever."

The rest of his existence, with some sporadic female companionships never definitives, was spent by the aristocrat remembering her only love. 

Fersen died atrociously in his country, in 1810.

Beautiful book, this love-story remains one of the saddest ones presenting us by History, but it is put in a human perspectives; after all Marie-Antoinette wasn't in love with her husband. She hadn't choosen of marrying him; maybe she didn't want to be a queen although I guess she loved her priviledged role and the endless possibilities of having fun in many different ways; with Fersen she found a bit of happiness. 

Hoghly recommended.

I thank so much Editions Tallandier for the copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori

Quando C'erano i Comunisti I Cento Anni del PCI tra Cronaca e Storia con una trestimonianza di Umberto Terracini by Mario Pendinelli and Marcello Sorgi

Quando C'erano i Comunisti

I Cento Anni del PCI tra Cronaca e Storia con una testimonianza di Umberto Terracini by Mario Pendinelli and Marcello Sorgi is the most engaging book that you can find around about the Communist Party.

Lights, shadows, the Italian Communist Party has been maybe the most powerful one of all the rest of european communists parties receiving a lot of money from Moscow.

It is not just a reconstruction of the movement, and then the party, but the story of its main protagonists, starting with Antonio Nino Gramsci and his family; his friendship with Palmiro Toglietti.

Togliatti and Gramsci were closed friends, inseparables; they knew each other when at the university and they loved to stay always together. Years pretty dark the ones of the first portion of 1900s. The First World War, the Spanish Flu that killed 100 million of people in the entire world, one day in 1911 the big thief at the Louvre of Paris: someone stole the Monna Lisa by Leonardo. Who was the responsible? 

Impossible to think but investigations at first were conducted in the direction of Guillame Apollinaire seen close to the Gioconda days before and Pablo Picasso. 

Years later, someone called Perrugia was trying to sell the Monna Lisa.

In this tumultous contest, Gramsci and Togliatti start to elaborate their theories.

Close to them the arrival of Angelo Tasca one of the protagonists of the events of 1921. 

But we are now in 1915 when Italy enters in war; socialists remain neutrals, Mussolini apart.

Salandra was the president of the council and he was pretty criticized by Giolitti because Salandra thought that what would have followed would have been a little and quick war, while the proportion of what became is known to everyone. "He lives in luxurious estates while poor devils are at war" commented, bitterly, Giolitti. 

Toglietti that years become volunteer while Gramsci dedicated its time at the journalistic activity although a magazine didn't pay him; L'Avanti paid but not too much for a living so Antonio was constricted at giving private lessons for a living.

In an article called La Città Futura Gramsci critices the populist rethoric.

In 1917 in Russia there is the revolution; the tzar has been killed with all his family and a new order, mostly created with wagons of blood has been created.

Gramsci has a new girlfriend, although when he will afford to Moscow, he will marry a girl of the city having a baby with her.

Pia said, once Gramsci was dead, that he was in grade to communicaty the most brutal facts with great sweetness.

FIAT was the most importat factory in Italy and as remarked Gobetti, Fiat for Italy means the entrance in the future thanks to its modernity.

Born in 1899 thanks to the visionariety of a group of aristocrats and rich bourgeois, will mean for the communist party the liberation of people from the feudal system of peasantry, trying to give them more emancipation and freedom.

These workers had to have a different dignity, much more high, elevated; workers that meant a new order. 

In the while what the first world war brought, once finished, was the dissolution of the big empires, more hate between countries, confused ideas at the Conference of Peace, in Paris.

Food, energy, transporation were the main voices that should have been taken in consideration by our country but that were not when our delegation was in Paris. 

There wasn't a clear idea of the country and where the country thanks to this war and the pandemic flu wanted to go. 600.000 dead, 500.000 mutilated the numbers of our "victory". 

Lenin is following with great interest the italian situation and its industrialization, thinking in 1920 that  is arrived the moment for a sort of revolution in our country as well.

Reed, a reporter of the Metropolitan Magazine New York, writes that this one is a little man, not incredibly beauty; he is also pretty sly and with a good intellectual audacity.

Mussolini becomes the editor of L' Avanti but he will leave the socialist party founding a new newsmagazine called "Il Popolo d'Italia" and starting the fascist movement.

On january 21, 1921 a branch of socialists decides to create the italian communist party, with a scission althouth at first at the elections the experience is a real failure.

Fascim starts to become a reality always more eradicated in the territory.

When Gramsci will afford again to Russia, Lenin has had a stroke. It is close to him the moment of giving the power at someone else: Stalin.

Lenin didn't like Stalin at all. He was defined by Lenin as a capricious, rude and unloyal person.

Stalin suffered of smallpox when little and so his skin had still the visible and horrible signs of the devastation of that infective illness.

Then he also suffered of an illness that caused a permament damage at the articulations of one of his the arms: and his parents were not of great example.

These two totalitarian regimes created in the XX cwentury, the communism and the fascism were much more than a simple assolutism. 

Why? Because they were like long shadows in grade of capturing the attention of people under all aspects. George Mosse wrote: "It's the public life pervading private life; it's the public, prevailing on the private..." 

All the people against these ideologies must be killed. 

In this sense, please read The Eight Life for Brilka, because it will give you the sense of what it meant to live in Tblisi Georgia, during that years. Again a long saga that will explain you why these ideologies were so disgusting; they were in grade of killing the souls of people.

Stalin was crazy; of a lucid craziness. People were scared of him. 

Stalin was horrible and killed million of people because activist politicians, because against the regime, because, simply, he thought that that people had to die because enemies.

Sure, he thought that "dictatorial methods brought a lot of profits for people."

But...Stalin has been a degeneration, or Lenin had started the process that would have brought at all this sufferance? 

With Lenin the country became a communism dictatorship (with masses of peasants demonstrating because they didn't want to lose their lands and their houses.)

These years as also remarked with strength Solzenicyn there is fear. The country leaves in fear from decades, and people are scared. A little gesture can cost the existence or freedom, wrote the beloved writer that experienced gulag and every sorta of sufferance.

The communist Party born in Russia on dec 30 1922 will end its experience dec 26th 1991 creating a subordination of many countries and people also pretty diversified. It was a great empire. During the second world war, the russian empire, one of the winners of the second world war conflict will impose in the countries close to it, its model.

It was a great joy the departure of Stalin on march 5 1953 although, apparently 80 million of people were mourning and in an ingenuous country where just less people knew the truth L'Unità wrote that Stalin was "the man who had fought for the progress and liberation of the humanity."

Three years later, tired of covering the massacres organized by Stalin, the new leader Chruscev, said without too many other words and compliments that Stalin had committed horrible crimes. 

It will be during the years of Chrusev that Solzenicyn will publish his first books. The statesman reported a man, Stalin who didn't hesistate at killing who had also a little different idea from him. 

He suffered of several disturbs of personality, thinking that everyone was a traitor. 

Who didn't want to obey was sent in a gulag dying for the sufferances experienced. 

These secrets informations will be soon releaed in the New York Times and people will be shocked by what they read. During these years Russia launches the Sputnik beginning a long competition with the USA for the discovery of space. 

John Kenneth Gallbraith from Harvard noticed also that the end of the private property had caused another big problem: people didn't cultivate anymore grain as they did before, and  cows of peasants were not kept well and milk not much.

There was also a big discussion, let's use that expression, between, Kennedy and the same Chruscev (with which Kennedy had establised a special phone line for speaking with him) that brought high tension; Cuba the reason of the problem; anyway problems were sorted out successfully well.

Chruscev loses the power thanks to a golpe, although apparently for a story of old age; the new leader becomes  Breznev, ukrainian.

With him, Russia will know a long period of stagnation; Breznev  petrified his world.

Togliatti became the leader of the italian communist party in the while. It's the time of the Resistance and Togliatti, returned from Russia, searches all the anti-fascists, monarchs included. Togliatti will be one of the most influential founders of the Italian Republic, and the communist party will become the leader of the Resistance born in Sept 8 1943.

While partisans fought for the freedom of the country, Vassalli found an incredible system for setting free at Regina Coeli Sandro Pertini and Saragat that were waiting to be killed.

Although Palmiro Togliatti was married, he fell in love with Nilde Iotti, her lover and companion per decades. Nilde didn't have children because she could not marry Togliatti. In Italy divorce was not yet a law, but she admitted in an interview released at Oriana Fallaci that after all what it is important is to be parents and she was a good parent for Marisa.

They also lived in a hidden place per years, very cold in the winter, and absolutely devastatingly warm in the Rome's summers. 

At the end Togliatti lost the patience: he wanted to go to live in a different place and with more dignity. 

The political party lived the love with Iotti with severity, judging not too positively their leader; a leader seen like a god, before the meeting with Iotti.

Nilde Iotti will demonstrate to everyone, in particular after the departure of Palmiro Togliatti, that was a strong lady, and a great dirigent of the communist party. At long she has been the President of the Chamber of Deputy from 1979 to 1992.

Renato Guttuso, sicilian and great painter has been a  beloved esponent of the italian communist party. Partisan, he will become a senator in the legislation 1976-1979. When Togliatti died, Renato Guttuso, after a period of silence will impress in the canvas all his sentiments.

Not just politicians in that painting: there is Luchino Visconti, close to Salvatore Quasimodo, Elio Vittorini like also Giangiacomo Feltrinelli disappeared in a tragic terrorist attack.

This painting, Il Funerale di Togliatti will be shown in many italian places, before to find its place at Bologna, the city Guttuso wanted, because the heart of the italian communism. 

In the while in the party there is ferment. What kind of new political party for this society, very different from the one seen by Gramsci? The economy is going on very well, maybe it's better, the idea of some esponents, of building a new party with the socialists; a riformist one. Other ones think that a refoundation of the left is indispensible.

Longo, at that time leader of the PCI will want as vice-secretary Enrico Berlinguer.

Born in Sardinia, and precisely at Sassari, in jail  for armed insurrection and much more, his father will sort out the problem.

The father will speak with Togliatti, because his son doesn't want to go to Rome and Togliatti will help him. Enrico will start to work to Rome in the juvenile section of the party.

Enrico was a closed boy, someone who didn't like to let show to others his feelings, but one day some friends of him tell that they organized a dinner where he was with them, and was happy, and cheerful as all the rest of them. She knows a girl Letizia Laurenti, and he falls in love. He will marry her and they will have four children: Bianca, Laura, Maria Stella and Marco.

Berlinguer is different from  Gramsci and Togliatti. His world is not the world of the founders of the communist party. He hasn't never known Lenin, Stalin. He is much much more free than his predecessors were. 

Plus, of course he didn't suffer what his predecessors suffered. Yes, he went to jail for a bit, but his father, an influential man, helped him without hesitations.

Berlinguer has been the communist leader more loved by italians.

Berlinguer when secretary would have wanted to create an historic compromise with the Democrazia Cristiana. The person with which he was more in contact with was Aldo Moro, someone opened and interested at walking close to Berlinguer and the ideas he wanted to share with him.

Divorce becomes law but the history of this special moment is influenced by the destiny of Aldo Moro. Once kidnapped, and later killed by the Brigate Rosse this era will be forever gone and the confrontation between these two parties ended.

Berlinguer, close to the experiment with Aldo Moro, thinks also that the legacy of Russia is too heavy; maybe it's better to search for another ideal of socialism. 

During a meeting in Russia, Breznev will try to let understand to the various foreign leaders that they can't do what they want.

Berlinguer doesn't have the same opinion of Breznev and he doesn't want to listen the words of the russian leader. 

It's a speech absolutely revolutionary and judged with ice by the russian establishment; the day after the piece ends in the New York Times, remarking the independent line of Italy.

In an interview with Giampaolo Pansa, Berlinguer remarked the independence that he wanted to create looking at western countries and NATO more than at Moscow.

As said before the Brigate Rosse were a degeneration of the communist party and for this reason Berlinguer will fight them with strength.

They are complicated years with Berlinguer under many ways "lost" because Aldo Moro is dead; a precious person was not anymore close to him.

Berlinguer died abruptly; he became sick during a speech because of a stroke, remaining the most beloved secretary of the italian communist party.

Alessandro Natta was the successor of Berlinguer, he had ideas filo-russian; Achille Occhetto would have later ended the experience of the communist party, creating scissions with the more nostalgic branch of followers; years later the party abandoned also Botteghe Oscure, their headquarter.

A book  informative, beautiful: the perfect reading for everyone curious to discover much more our past history.

Highly recommended.

I thank Marsilio for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori