A fascist, yes, but not simply, only, or irreducibly one

April 3, 2025 12:48 AM

Malaparte “had less to be forgiven for than many of his colleagues, who were generally more capable of reinventing themselves after the war.” The question of Malaparte’s “credentials” is dispensed with at the outset, leaving the reader with the even more troubling suggestion of authentic principle behind what looks at first glance to have been a lifetime of craven opportunism. from Revenge of the Courtier [The Baffler; ungated]
posted by chavenet (7 comments total)

An interesting article about an author I've never heard of, thanks for posting! Has anybody here ever read any of his stuff?
posted by saladin at 5:51 AM on April 3 [1 favorite]

Kaput is where to start. Great literary journalism about WW2 from European perspective. Fantastic imagery. I would put it on the level of Herr's Dispatches.
posted by Hobbacocka at 6:05 AM on April 3 [4 favorites]

I just read Kaput a couple of months ago. Very interesting book by a (at the time) fascist going through a very “these leopards aren’t supposed to be eating MY face!” Experience. Would not recommend reading it for anybody who can’t wrap their brain around processing art created by bad people, or art centering a bad person as the protagonist.
posted by youthenrage at 6:42 AM on April 3 [3 favorites]

Yeah, maybe start by recognizing that "bad" is a pretty simple characterization.
posted by Hobbacocka at 9:50 AM on April 3 [2 favorites]

Kaputt is a fabulous, fascinating read and absolutely the best place to start... 'bad' is definitely reductive, Malaparte was a very complex (or maybe just complicated?) person.
posted by remembrancer at 9:52 AM on April 3 [2 favorites]

Yes, start with Kaputt. It's hard, but The Skin is ... harder.
posted by chavenet at 10:32 AM on April 3 [1 favorite]

The Baffler piece was featured on aldaily last week. It was so fascinating that I ordered the biography, Kaput, and The Skin immediately. Not for myself, but for a friend's birthday coming up, who I know will be mesmerized by this stuff. Then I'll get to borrow them, of course.
posted by 3.2.3 at 12:10 PM on April 3 [1 favorite]