Description
The Italian Communist Party was once one of the most powerful and vibrant parties of the West. In this detailed and probing work, Lucio Magri, one of the towering intellectual figures of the Italian left, assesses the causes for its demise. The PCI survived almost a century of Italian history, from its founding in 1921 to the partisan resistance, the turning point of Salerno in 1944 to the de-Stalinization of 1956, the long '68 to the "historic compromise," and to the opportunity - missed forever - of democratic transformation.
With rigor and passion, The Tailor of Ulm merges an original and enlightening interpretation of Italian communism with the experience of a militant "heretic" into a riveting read - capable of broadening our insights into contemporary Italy and the twentieth-century communist experience.
A fascinating analysis of the decline and fall of Western communism by a participant observer.
About the Author
Lucio Magri (1932-2011) was one of Europe's leading leftist intellectuals. He joined the Italian Communist Party in the mid 1950s. In 1969, he was expelled from the PCI along with the group of dissidents who had founded the journal il manifesto. Active in the Independent Left and the peace movement over the next two decades, Magri became one of the leaders of Rifondazione Comunista in 1991 and the editor of la Rivista del manifesto.
Reviews
A highly intelligent, melancholy retrospect on the PCI's eventual self-destruction. -- Eric Hobsbawm * London Review of Books *
Magri's assessments and ideas are invaluable to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of our recent history and for ways of overcoming the present global and systemic crisis. -- John Green * Morning Star *
This beautifully written and meticulously researched volume should be of interest to scholars of communism, the European Left, Italy, and the Cold War. Recommended. * Choice *
Book Information
ISBN 9781786635549
Author Lucio Magri
Format Paperback
Page Count 442
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 652g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 25mm
With rigor and passion, The Tailor of Ulm merges an original and enlightening interpretation of Italian communism with the experience of a militant "heretic" into a riveting read - capable of broadening our insights into contemporary Italy and the twentieth-century communist experience.
A fascinating analysis of the decline and fall of Western communism by a participant observer.
About the Author
Lucio Magri (1932-2011) was one of Europe's leading leftist intellectuals. He joined the Italian Communist Party in the mid 1950s. In 1969, he was expelled from the PCI along with the group of dissidents who had founded the journal il manifesto. Active in the Independent Left and the peace movement over the next two decades, Magri became one of the leaders of Rifondazione Comunista in 1991 and the editor of la Rivista del manifesto.
Reviews
A highly intelligent, melancholy retrospect on the PCI's eventual self-destruction. -- Eric Hobsbawm * London Review of Books *
Magri's assessments and ideas are invaluable to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of our recent history and for ways of overcoming the present global and systemic crisis. -- John Green * Morning Star *
This beautifully written and meticulously researched volume should be of interest to scholars of communism, the European Left, Italy, and the Cold War. Recommended. * Choice *
Book Information
ISBN 9781786635549
Author Lucio Magri
Format Paperback
Page Count 442
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 652g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 25mm
