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Indro Montanelli | |
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| Born | Indro Alessandro Raffaello Schizogene Montanelli 22 April 1909 |
| Died | 22 July 2001 (aged 92) Milan, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Other names | Cilindro ("Top Hat")[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Florence |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1930–2001 |
| Known for | One of the fifty World Press Freedom Heroes, work at Corriere della Sera, founder of il Giornale, author of Storia d'Italia |
| Notable work | General Della Rovere (1959) |
| Awards | Order of the Lion of Finland Princess of Asturias Awards World Press Freedom Heroes |
Indro Alessandro Raffaello Schizogene Montanelli OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈindro montaˈnɛlli]; 22 April 1909 – 22 July 2001) was an Italian journalist, historian, and writer. He was one of the fifty World Press Freedom Heroes according to the International Press Institute.[2] A volunteer for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and an admirer of Benito Mussolini's dictatorship, Montanelli had a change of heart in 1943, and joined the liberal resistance group Giustizia e Libertà but was discovered and arrested along with his wife by Nazi authorities in 1944. Sentenced to death, he was able to flee to Switzerland the day before his scheduled execution by firing squad thanks to a secret service double agent.[3][4][5]
After World War II, Montanelli continued his work at Corriere della Sera, where he started working in 1938, and distinguished himself as a staunch conservative columnist for many decades. An intransigent, anti-conformist, and anti-communist, he defended the idea of another political right, which was sober, cultured, pessimistic, and distrustful of mass society.[6][7] In 1977, the Red Brigades terrorist group kneecapped him;[8] years later, he forgave them.[6] He was also a popular novelist and historian, especially remembered for his monumental Storia d'Italia (History of Italy) in 22 volumes.[6][7]
After leaving the Corriere della Sera in 1973 due to a perceived turn to the left,[9] Montanelli worked as the editor-in-chief of Silvio Berlusconi-owned newspaper il Giornale for many years but was opposed to Berlusconi's political ambitions, and quit as editor of il Giornale, which he founded as il Giornale nuovo in 1974, when Berlusconi officially entered politics in 1994.[10] He returned to the Corriere della Sera in 1995 and worked there until his death.[6][7] Both the Italian centre-left and centre-right tried to reclaim his figure; the former, which overlooked his conservatism and anti-communism, emphasized his anti-Berlusconist militancy while the latter, after having portrayed him as a useful idiot of the post-communist left, underplayed his opposition to Berlusconi.[6]
- ^ Abbiati, Daniele (6 February 2010). "La Treccani riparte ma scivola su 'Cilindro' Montanelli". Il Giornale. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "World Press Freedom Heroes: Symbols of courage in global journalism". International Press Institute. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ Bigham, Randy Bryan (2014). Finding Dorothy: A Biography of Dorothy Gibson. Raleigh, North Carolina: Lulu Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 978-1-1055-2008-2. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ Broggini, Renata (2021). Passaggio in Svizzera: L'anno nascosto di Indro Montanelli (in Italian). Milan: Feltrinelli Editore. p. 204. ISBN 978-88-588-4542-4. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ Morreale, Emiliano (2023). L'ultima innocenza (in Italian). Palermo: Sellerio Editore. p. 148. ISBN 978-88-389-4510-6. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e Gerbi, Sandro; Liucci, Raffaele (2011). "Montanelli, Indro". In Caravale, Mario (ed.). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 75. Rome: Italian Encyclopedia Institute. ISBN 978-8-8120-0032-6. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Montanèlli, Indro nell'Enciclopedia Treccani". Treccani (in Italian). 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ Lame, John Francis (24 July 2001). "Obituary: Indro Montanelli. Veteran Italian journalist who cast a caustically critical eye on politics and society for more than 60 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ Consani, Mario (2 June 2017). "'Servo del regime', gli sparano. Montanelli gambizzato dalle Br". Il Giorno (in Italian). Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ Ginzborg, Paul (2005). Silvio Berlusconi: Television, Power and Patrimony. London: Verso Books. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-8446-7541-8. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Google Books.