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M

Son of the Century

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M

By: Antonio Scurati, Anne Milano Appel - translator
Narrated by: Jonathan Oliver
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THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

M. is a startling look into the fascist mindset, a portrait of unrelenting determination, and an impeccable work of historical fiction.

Italy is exhausted. Tired of the political class. Tired of the inept moderates and the agonizing machinations of a democracy that no longer seems to be working.

While the leaders of the country have sat idly in the safety of parliament, achieving nothing, one man on the outside has risen to the top.

He is a misfit par excellence, a protector of the demobilized, a lost drifter searching for the way. He speaks for the outcasts, the renegades and the ideologically pure. He is a former socialist leader ousted by his party, the director of a small opposition newspaper, a tireless political agitator.

Like an animal, he can smell that change is coming.

He is Benito Mussolini.

M tells the story of the rise of fascism from within the mind of its founder. Rich in historical detail, and interspersed with real documents and sources, this is a masterful work of historical fiction with urgent resonance for our times

 20th Century Europe Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Italy Modern Political War & Military Biography War Military
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Critic reviews

‘An anti-fascist history lesson disguised as a novel’ New York Times
‘A masterful historical account, an extraordinary and stimulating book. A portrait of Benito Mussolini all the more accurate and powerful as it is factual and rigorous. An audacious, fluid, dazzling production. A brilliant story’
Le Figaro
‘An indisputable literary achievement. Scurati carefully examines history, with an experienced prose rich in literary allusions. Like Yourcenar, Gore Vidal, Sebald, Echenoz or Fences. Italo Calvino would have loved it’
El Paìs
‘Resembles a political thriller … surprisingly modern. A must read’ Die Zeit
‘The novel Italy has been waiting for. A masterpiece.’ Roberto Saviano
‘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 … a multitude of short fragments that collectively add up to an immense mosaic’ Lucy Hughes-Hallett, New Statesman
All stars
Most relevant
The narrator and the book's author unpick for us through references from contemporary chronicles, speeches and diarists the mechanisms by which Mussolini rose to power. Full of insightful detail, it is a history lesson that all who are interested in politics need to heed. Although a lengthy work the narrator Jonathan Oliver keeps you engaged throughout. An major dissemination of the route to power in post WW1 Italy.

The rise of Mussolini's fascists

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The book itself is a very accurate and detailed narrative of the days that saw the rise of Mussolini to power. It is heartbreaking to see how history repeats itself and how we systematically ignore its admonishments. A good book to read in a time when leadership is confused with authoritarianism. The only downside in my opinion was the audio rendition of Italian words/names. They are systematically pronounces wrongly (e.g. intonation follows English rules not Italian, which is annoying to an Italian reader), the voice of Mussolini doesn't reflect the character making him sound like an Oxbridge snob rather than a pathetic version of Julius Caesar. I had to put it down half way through and go to the book, but I appreciate it is probably something that would annoy only someone with Italian as first language.

Had to resort to the book.

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M is alot, steam rollers by like listening to the news with cynically funny analysis. I would advise getting familiar with some of the historical figures beforehand as while M does a good job at creating vivid characters they drop in and out of the story at a frenetic pace and it is sometimes hard to place where they are in the political scenery.

For today there are some reassurances and worries. The image of a strongman-for-a-strongman's-sake is familiar to us now. It is infuriating to hear how incoherent Mussolini's platform is beyond power and the fascist appeal being merely violence. We are seeing such figures again but what is reassuring is that these events happen in close proximity to a terrible war that allows for organised brutally whereas today's fascists largely lack such education.

Appropriate for our times

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