Sergio Castellitto and Francesco Patané in The Bad Poet The relationship between the great poet Gabriele D’Annunzio and fascism has formed the focus of numerous historical studies and is also explored in detail in a very recent book by Raffaella Canovi (Bibliotheka Edizioni), where the egocentric, individualistic and libertarian “Vate” is described as a man who transcended notions of right and left and who couldn’t subscribe to a State characterised by rigid frameworks and highly restrictive rules. The only thing he had in common with Benito Mussolini was fanatic nationalism. (The article continues below - Commercial information) Having lived across two centuries, the expert in supermanism, renaissance aesthete but also experimenter in and enthusiast of technical innovations D’Annunzio wasn’t just a protagonist of the literary scene, he also played a lead role in European customs and politics from the end of the 1800s right up until the advent of fascism. But the relationship between the poet and the regime was always somewhat ambiguous. The regime exploited him in their propaganda as a symbol of a glorious past, but they saw his charm and charisma as dangerous characteristics which risked offending “the Duke”. Mussolini was obsessed with the poet and insisted the latter be constantly monitored, censored and neutralised.