M

THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ‘An anti-fascist history lesson disguised as a novel’ New York Times ‘Extraordinary’ TLS ‘A masterpiece’ Roberto Saviano A startling look into the fascist mindset, a portrait of unrelenting determination, and an impeccable work of historical fiction. M tells the story of the rise of fascism from within the mind of its founder. A gripping and masterful exposé, it explores Benito Mussolini’s rise to power and a movement that, amidst a failing democracy, came to shape the world. ‘ Panoptic and polyphonic , Scurati’s book gives us the experiences of the fearful and the feared, the rhetoric of both the revolutionaries and the reactionaries … an immense mosaic ’ Lucy Hughes-Hallett, New Statesman ‘An indisputable literary achievement … Italo Calvino would have loved it ’ El Paìs

THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ‘An anti-fascist history lesson disguised as a novel’ New York Times ‘Extraordinary’ TLS ‘A masterpiece’ Roberto Saviano A startling look into the fascist mindset, a portrait of unrelenting determination, and an impeccable work of historical fiction. M tells the story of the rise of fascism from within the mind of its founder. A gripping and masterful exposé, it explores Benito Mussolini’s rise to power and a movement that, amidst a failing democracy, came to shape the world. ‘ Panoptic and polyphonic , Scurati’s book gives us the experiences of the fearful and the feared, the rhetoric of both the revolutionaries and the reactionaries … an immense mosaic ’ Lucy Hughes-Hallett, New Statesman ‘An indisputable literary achievement … Italo Calvino would have loved it ’ El Paìs

The massive international bestseller--an epic historical novel that chronicles the birth and rise of fascism in Italy, witnessed through the eyes of its founder, the terrifyingly charismatic figure who would become one of the most notorious dictators of the twentieth century, Benito Mussolini. It is 1919, and the Great War that has ravaged Europe is over. In Italy, the people are exhausted. Tired of the political class. Tired of vague promises, inept moderates, and the agonizing machinations of a democracy that has failed ordinary citizens. While elite leaders have sat idly by, achieving nothing, one outsider--the director of a small opposition newspaper and a tireless political agitator--is electrifying the masses, promising hope for a demoralized nation hungry for change. A former socialist leader ousted by his own party, he is a drifter who knows what it is to feel lost. His voice speaks for the misfits and the outcasts; he is a protector of those who are forgotten. He is Benito Mussolini. And soon Italy--and the world--will be forever remade. In M: Son of the Century, Antonio Scurati tells the story of fascism from within the mind of its founder, the man known to his followers as Il Duce. Steeped in historical detail and interspersed with period documents and sources, this masterful saga explores the seductive power of nationalism and idolatry, revealing how authoritarianism took hold and a nation bent to the will of one ruthless strongman. Provocative and resonant, M is a chilling reminder that the past is never gone, and that it holds urgent lessons for us today.

The massive international bestseller--an epic historical novel that chronicles the birth and rise of fascism in Italy, witnessed through the eyes of its founder, the terrifyingly charismatic figure who would become one of the most notorious dictators of the twentieth century, Benito Mussolini. It is 1919, and the Great War that has ravaged Europe is over. In Italy, the people are exhausted. Tired of the political class. Tired of vague promises, inept moderates, and the agonizing machinations of a democracy that has failed ordinary citizens. While elite leaders have sat idly by, achieving nothing, one outsider--the director of a small opposition newspaper and a tireless political agitator--is electrifying the masses, promising hope for a demoralized nation hungry for change. A former socialist leader ousted by his own party, he is a drifter who knows what it is to feel lost. His voice speaks for the misfits and the outcasts; he is a protector of those who are forgotten. He is Benito Mussolini. And soon Italy--and the world--will be forever remade. In M: Son of the Century, Antonio Scurati tells the story of fascism from within the mind of its founder, the man known to his followers as Il Duce. Steeped in historical detail and interspersed with period documents and sources, this masterful saga explores the seductive power of nationalism and idolatry, revealing how authoritarianism took hold and a nation bent to the will of one ruthless strongman. Provocative and resonant, M is a chilling reminder that the past is never gone, and that it holds urgent lessons for us today.

International bestseller om Mussolinis vej til magten og fascismens Italien. M er fortællingen om Benito Mussolinis vej fra udstødt socialist til leder af en bevægelse, der vælter Italien omkuld. I et land træt af pampere, af et demokrati i krise og af ledere uden rygrad slår han til og former Italien i sit eget billede. Romanen handler om fascismens første år (1919–1925), og alt bygger på historiske kilder. Man følger Mussolinis vej mod magten og de mennesker, der former hans projekt: kunstnere, intellektuelle, politiske modstandere og de voldelige grupper, der baner vejen for fascismens gennembrud. Bogen giver et unikt indblik i fødslen af en totalitær bevægelse, og resultatet er et enestående og urovækkende værk, der vækker genklang i vores samtid. M startede en national debat i Italien om arven fra fascismen og blev hædret med Strega-prisen, landets fineste litterære udmærkelse. Den er solgt i over 600.000 eksemplarer i hjemlandet, oversat til udgivelse i 46 lande og serialiseret af SkyShowtime.

Fritz Lang's first sound feature, M (1931), is one of the earliest serial killer films in cinema history and laid the foundation for future horror movies and thrillers, particularly those with a disturbed killer as protagonist. Peter Lorre's child killer, Hans Beckert, is presented as monstrous, yet sympathetic, building on themes presented in the earlier German Expressionist horror films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Hands of Orlac . Lang eerily foreshadowed the rising fascist horrors in German society, and transforms his cinematic Berlin into a place of urban terror and paranoia. Samm Deighan explores the way Lang uses horror and thriller tropes in M , particularly in terms of how it functions as a bridge between German Expressionism and Hollywood's growing fixation on sympathetic killers in the '40s. The book also examines how Lang made use of developments within in forensic science and the criminal justice system to portray a somewhat realistic serial killer on screen for the first time, at once capturing how society in the '30s and '40s viewed such individuals and their crimes and shaping how they would be portrayed on screen in the horror films to come.

Fritz Lang's first sound feature, M (1931), is one of the earliest serial killer films in cinema history and laid the foundation for future horror movies and thrillers, particularly those with a disturbed killer as protagonist. Peter Lorre's child killer, Hans Beckert, is presented as monstrous, yet sympathetic, building on themes presented in the earlier German Expressionist horror films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Hands of Orlac . Lang eerily foreshadowed the rising fascist horrors in German society, and transforms his cinematic Berlin into a place of urban terror and paranoia. Samm Deighan explores the way Lang uses horror and thriller tropes in M , particularly in terms of how it functions as a bridge between German Expressionism and Hollywood's growing fixation on sympathetic killers in the '40s. The book also examines how Lang made use of developments within in forensic science and the criminal justice system to portray a somewhat realistic serial killer on screen for the first time, at once capturing how society in the '30s and '40s viewed such individuals and their crimes and shaping how they would be portrayed on screen in the horror films to come.