Sotto il segno del littorio I: La genesi del fascismo [Under the Sign of the Lictors I: The origin of fascism]. Chicago: Libreria Sociale, 1933.
Title
Sotto il segno del littorio I: La genesi del fascismo [Under the Sign of the Lictors I: The origin of fascism]. Chicago: Libreria Sociale, 1933.
Description
The stunning front and back covers of Sotto il segno were illustrated by Fort Velona (b. Calabria, 1893 - d. New York, 1965), a socialist, labor organizer as well as cartoonist, who became best known for his anti-fascist cartoons, reproduced widely in the Italian American press. Among other experiences, Velona was clubbed unconscious by fascists at one of their rallies when he shouted “Death to Mussolini!” upon hearing the name of “Il Duce” raised.
There is much to unpack in the illustration: to take but one example, many leading fascists are identified by name in the back cover illustration, including Emilio De Bono, a general and leader of the fascist March on Rome in 1922 who was tried in 1925 for the murder of Giacomo Matteoti in 1924 but acquitted; in the illustration, he is holding a knife in his hand with Matteoti's name on it.
The first cartoon as a text illustration (opposite p. xvi) is by Rata Langa, the nom d’artiste of Gabriele Galantara, one of the co-founders of and chief cartoonist for L’Asino, q.v. The publisher, “Social Bookstore” was an arm of the Federazione Socialista Italiana. This work was also issued at the same time in red cloth-covered boards with stamped titling on the spine, a copy of which is also in the collection.
Saudino (b. Piemonte, 1889 - d. Chicago, 1964), son of a tailor, came to the United States in 1912, where he became a writer, an anti-fascist, a publicist of socialist and anti-clerical causes, and long-time contributor to the newsletters La Parola del Popolo (of which he became editor) in Chicago and Il Corriere del Popolo in San Francisco.
This work, which discusses fascism in Italy only, was the first volume of a projected two-volume work; the second volume, Le attività del fascismo negli Stati Uniti [The activities of fascism in the United States] was never published (its manuscript is in the IHRC in Minneapolis). The first volume was translated from Italian into Greek, apparently causing a diplomatic protest by the Italian government.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Saudino was published widely in Italian newspapers in the United States, Italy, Argentina, and Mexico.
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