Censorship and Literature in Fascist ItalyThe history of totalitarian states bears witness to the fact that literature and print media can be manipulated and made into vehicles of mass deception. Censorship and Literature in Fascist Italy is the first comprehensive account of how the Fascists attempted to control Italy's literary production. Guido Bonsaver looks at how the country's major publishing houses and individual authors responded to the new cultural directives imposed by the Fascists. Throughout his study, Bonsaver uses rare and previously unexamined materials to shed light on important episodes in Italy's literary history, such as relationships between the regime and particular publishers, as well as individual cases involving renowned writers like Moravia, Da Verona, and Vittorini. Censorship and Literature in Fascist Italy charts the development of Fascist censorship laws and practices, including the creation of the Ministry of Popular Culture and the anti-Semitic crack-down of the late 1930s. Examining the breadth and scope of censorship in Fascist Italy, from Mussolini's role as 'prime censor' to the specific experiences of female writers, this is a fascinating look at the vulnerability of culture under a dictatorship. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
Towards a New System | 13 |
Carrots Sticks and Charismatic Ruling | 27 |
The Censor and the Censored | 58 |
ess Office to Ministry of Popular Culture | 95 |
o Ciano at the Press Office | 107 |
istry for the Press and Propaganda June 1935May 1937 | 114 |
istry of Popular Culture | 120 |
itism and Cultural Reclamation | 169 |
ing Book Reclamation | 177 |
of the Screw | 191 |
ifica Becomes Public | 206 |
nip Denied | 214 |
Fiction and Weak Autarky | 221 |
ed Business | 237 |
Notes | 267 |
Italian Literature | 129 |
di | 140 |
Massimo Bontempelli and Alberto | 150 |
Sem Benellis AntiBourgeois Plays | 158 |
261 | 332 |
Bibliography | 373 |
Index | 393 |