Fabula after Fabula – Fabula in Theory with Antonio Scurati: M: Son of the Century

The 2023 Fabula in Theory addresses the issue of personal and collective past, what we have learnt from our past for a better today, and what await us in the future, how this relates to human (personal) and collective (social) memory. What advantage can be taken of retrospection and (self)reflection. World-renowned British author Bernardine Evaristo and Italian writer Antonio Scurati are to address the subject at Cankarjev dom.

M: Son of the Century (M. Il figlio del secolo) is a novel about Benito Mussolini and his rise to power, his methods of intimidation, manipulation and his rule. The novel chronicles the birth and rise of fascism in Italy, witnessed through the eyes of its founder, the terrifyingly charismatic figure who would become one of the most notorious dictators of the twentieth century. In 1919, a rally of the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento signals fascism’s rise. The historical sweep takes in fascist, socialist, and liberal ideologies competing for Italy’s future, and the author portrays various characters’ poignant struggles, such as the real-life socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti, who was brutally murdered by fascists. 

Antonio Scurati (1969) is a contemporary Italian writer and essayist. After graduating in philosophy from the Universita degli Studi di Milano, Scurati studied at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris and obtained a doctorate from the Universita di Bergamo. In 2019, Scurati won the Strega Award, Italy’s most prestigious literary prize, for his book M.: Son of the Century. Soon after its publication, the book became a literary sensation. A bestseller for years, it is now being published in forty-two countries. M. L’uomo della provvidenza, the sequel to the novel and the second in a tetralogy, was recently published in Italy. 

The hybrid event at Cankarjev dom (virtual talk with the author) will be hosted by Matejka Grgič.

The event will be simultaneously translated into Slovenian.