ABSTRACT
This cruel irresponsibility seems a light extravagance compared to the slaughter of World War I. Yet, in 1920 D’Annunzio was the most famous Italian – far better known than the struggling Mussolini whose failing fascist party was to try in desperation a few months later to replace Mussolini with D’Annunzio as leader (Ridley 1997: 116). The poet’s every move attracted publicity. Universally hailed as Italy’s greatest living poet, D’Annunzio was also a charismatic and much-decorated World War I hero. Italy alone had awarded him the maximum three silver medals for bravery; and he was honored by other countries, including Belgium and Serbia as well as France with the Croix de Guerre and England with the MC. Mussolini looked to D’Annunzio as a model of charismatic fascist leadership.2
