A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

Browse all

Who is Antonio Scurati?

The author of the book about Mussolini that won Strega Award and is making waves with the TV series

Who is Antonio Scurati? The author of the book about Mussolini that won Strega Award and is making waves with the TV series

In the past week, the Italian cultural debate has been dominated by a television production that has sparked reflections and discussions: M, the Son of the Century. Directed by Joe Wright, the series is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Antonio Scurati, winner of the 2019 Strega Prize. The work, which narrates Benito Mussolini's rise to power, has captivated readers and viewers alike, thanks to its ability to weave historical facts with storytelling, exploring the darkest period of Italian history. So, who is the mind behind the original work? Antonio Scurati is a writer known for his sensitivity in critically examining the past, intertwining historical lessons with contemporary reflections, and a forward-looking perspective. In his works, he skillfully navigates between fiction and historical reconstruction, investigating humanity's great conflicts. With the M. saga, Scurati has created a monumental work that combines the evocative power of literature with the precision of historical research. The figures mentioned in his novels appear as vivid and complex literary characters, while dates, events, and locations are treated with rigorous fidelity to sources. This approach has led the author himself to define his work as a "documentary novel", emphasizing that "while based on extensive documentary evidence, it is a novel, not a historical essay", as stated in the pages of Corriere della Sera.

The M. saga consists of five volumes, four of which have already been published. The highly anticipated final chapter will be released on April 25, 2025, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day. The first volume, M. The Son of the Century, covers the period 1919–1925, recounting Mussolini's rise from the Fasci di Combattimento to the Matteotti murder, a pivotal event that marked the establishment of the Fascist regime. The second volume, M. The Man of Providence (2020), explores the period 1925–1932, including key episodes such as the marriage of Mussolini's daughter Edda to Galeazzo Ciano, the tenth anniversary of the March on Rome, and the colonial war in Africa led by Pietro Badoglio. In the third volume, M. The Last Days of Europe (2022), Scurati narrates the years 1938–1940, a dramatic triennium marked by the meeting between Mussolini and Hitler, the introduction of racial laws, and the signing of the Pact of Steel, a prelude to World War II. This final phase is addressed in the fourth volume, M. The Hour of Destiny (October 2024), focuses on Mussolini's failed attempt to win the war while providing a vivid portrait of Italy at the time. Characters like Mario Rigoni Stern, Edda Mussolini, and Galeazzo Ciano enliven the narrative, offering a choral perspective on those years.

The fifth and final volume of the pentalogy, scheduled for the symbolic date of April 25, 2025—the 80th anniversary of Liberation—will conclude this monumental narrative work, closing the circle with an analysis of the final collapse of the Fascist regime and Liberation. But the success of M. has not been confined to the written page. The Son of the Century had already transcended the limits of literature in 2022 with Massimo Popolizio's theatrical adaptation, receiving unanimous acclaim. For the past week, the entire Italian cultural debate has been focused on the Sky series directed by Joe Wright, starring Luca Marinelli as the Romagna-born dictator. The series was presented out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, and the first two episodes aired on January 10, 2025, generating great public and critical interest. The series currently focuses on M. The Son of the Century, and it is not yet clear whether the subsequent novels will be adapted, but everything seems to point in that direction. As evidenced by the ongoing cultural debate, which has not spared sharp criticism of some of Marinelli's statements. M. is much more than just a saga: it is a phenomenon destined to leave a profound mark, both in literature and in the Italian collective imagination.