ABSTRACT
Journalist One of the most popular journalists in Italy, Biagi, unlike Giorgio Bocca, is more loved by the public than respected by his colleagues. His productivity is comparable to that of a successful small business of his native Emilia-Romagna: he has been a columnist for Il Corriere delta sera and then for La Repubblica (‘Strettamente personale’, Strictly Personal), a travel writer with books on Russia, China and America, a biographer of Gianni Agnelli (see Agnelli family), an autobiographer (Disonora il padre) (Dishonour Thy Father) (1975), a newspaper editor (Il Resto del Carlino) and television presenter. His recipe is a mild populism stuffed with anecdotes reminiscent of Fellini’s Amarcord. He speaks for the common man, spicing his stories with personal experiences, and he has consistently shown scepticism towards the political class, something that perhaps dates back to his involvement with the Partito d’Azione (Action Party) in the Resistance. He takes pride in writing straightforward prose with a humorous touch.
