Richard J B Bosworth presents his new book on modern Italy with responses and discussion from Stephen Gundle
What did it mean to live with fascism, communism and totalitarianism in modern Italy? And what should we learn from the experiences of a martyred liberal democrat father and his communist son? Through the prism of a single, exceptional family, the Amendolas, R J B Bosworth reveals the heart of twentieth-century Italian politics. Giovanni and Giorgio Amendola, father and son, were both highly capable and dedicated Anti-Fascists. Each failed to make it to the top of the Italian political pyramid but nevertheless played a major part in Italy’s history. Both also had rich but contrasting private lives. Each married a foreign and accomplished woman: Giovanni, a woman from a distinguished German-Russian intellectual family; Giorgio, a Parisian working-class girl, who, to him, embodied revolution. This vivid and engaging biographical study explores the highs and lows of a family that was at the center of Italian politics over several generations. Tracing the complex relationship between Anti-Fascist politics and the private lives of individuals and of the family, Politics, Murder and Love in an Italian Family offers a profound portrait of a century of Italian life.

Details available from mailto:angelica.rossi-hawkins@history.ox.ac.uk
Date: 8 February 2023, 17:00 (Wednesday, 4th week, Hilary 2023)
Venue: History Faculty, George Street OX1 2RL
Venue Details: Rees Davies Room
Speakers: Richard J B Bosworth, Professor Stephen Gundle (University of Warwick)
Organisers: Cesare Vagge, Angelica Rossi-Hawkins
Organiser contact email address: angelica.rossi-hawkins@history.ox.ac.uk
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Belinda Clark