M: Son of the Century

“Readers will find themselves swept up by the story, thrilled by its conflicts and strangely forgetful that its ‘hero’ is a murderous despot. It’s a dangerous lesson for a novel to convey, but a profoundly important one.” – Wall Street Journal

“A masterwork of modern Italian literature that will leave readers eager for more… . Scurati’s book could not be more timely, and it’s a superb exercise in blending historical fact and literary imagination.” – Kirkus Reviews

“An ambitious exploration of the rise of fascism in Italy … the tale of how democracy can die to the sound of such thunderous applause… . The book’s most interesting feature is the liberty Antonio Scurati takes to venture into the mind of Mussolini himself.” – Atlantic

“Scurati’s ambivalent portrait of a powerful fascist is sure to spark much debate.” – Publishers Weekly

“This relentless chronicle of authoritarianism emboldened and empowered offers a painful and valuable reminder that democracy is fragile, never to be taken for granted and always in need of committed defense.” – Washington Post

“M is nothing like the historical novel as Walter Scott or Alessandro Manzoni would have understood it. It is relentlessly driven by fact, chronicle and document… . Scurati’s dangerous project is, then, from its title and cover onwards, decidely Fascist-centred; it stares at the Gorgon, even looks out with the Gorgon’s eyes.” – Times Literary Supplement (London)

Antonio Scurati was born in Naples in 1969 and lives in Milan. He is a Professor of Comparative Literature and Creative writing at the IULM University in Milan and a columnist for Corriere della Sera. He is the author of various novels which have won an array of literary prizes in Italy, and M: Son of the Century is the first to be made available in English. The first in a quartet of novels about Mussolini and the rise of fascism, it was the winner of the 2019 Strega award and has been translated into forty languages.

Anne Milano Appel, PhD, has translated works by a number of leading Italian authors for a variety of US and UK publishers. Her awards include the Italian Prose in Translation Award, the John Florio Prize for Italian Translation, and the Northern California Book Award for Translation.