Scholars of Futurism, Fascism, twentieth-century Italian history and culture, and political theory will find this book interesting and thought-provoking. Drawing from a number of published and unpublished sources, Ialongo manages to give a limpid and unapologetic analysis of Marinetti’s political activity and of his links to Fascism, at times also exploring its darker and less comfortable sides. The constant dialogue between radicalism and nationalism is not just the underlying concept of the book, but the key that allows the author to shed light on Marinetti’s political experience from a new perspective.

The European Legacy – Toward New Paradigms

Scholars of cultural studies, Italian studies, Futurism, and political theory will find this book and Ialongo’s methodology both illuminating and refreshing. The strength of this study is in its careful detailing of Marinetti’s role in the political realm.... Through his discussions of Marinetti’s writings, propagandist speeches, wartime efforts, and international travels, Ialongo offers a new perspective on how Marinetti continued to support the Future of Italy above all else.

Forum Italicum

Ernest Ialongo’s monograph on F.T. Marinetti addresses a fundamental question: how did the creator of a transformative art movement in the early twentieth-century become a leading figure in the Italian Fascist Regime, whose commitment was such that he remained loyal to the fascist cause until his death? In a carefully orchestrated argument, Ialongo masterfully addresses this question by considering the full complexity of Marinetti’s ideological formation.

Mark Antliff, Professor of Art History and Visual Studies, Duke University

Ernest Ialongo gives us, for the first time, a comprehensive and unapologetic analysis of F. T. Marinetti’s politics. Challenging the tendency to unnaturally separate art and politics, Ialongo deftly and with great complexity presents Marinetti’s and the Futurist movement he led's thirty-five-year struggle to combine radicalism, bellicose and elitist nationalism, and defense of individual liberties. At a time when the art of Futurism finds a great following, Ialongo provides an essential service in reminding us of the movement's deep commitment to radical, but anti-democratic, nationalist, and Fascist politics.

Marla Stone, professor of history, Occidental College