Possess the Air
Love, Heroism, and the Battle for the Soul of Mussolini's Rome
An inspiring true story of resistance to the rising tide of populism and xenophobia in Mussolini's Italy.
'Whoever you are, you are sure to be a severe critic of Fascism, and you must feel the servile shame. But even you are responsible for your inaction. Do not seek to justify yourself with the illusion that there is nothing to be done. That is not true. Every person of courage and honour is quietly working for a free Italy. Even if you do not want to join us, there are still TEN THINGS which you can do. You can, and therefore you must.'
These unsayable words, printed on leaflets that rained down on Mussolini's headquarters in the heart of Rome at the height of the dictator's power, drive the central drama of Possess the Air. This is the story of freedom fighters who defied Italy's despot by opposing the rising tide of populism and xenophobia. Chief among them: poet and aviator Lauro de Bosis, firstborn of an Italian aristocrat and a New Englander, who transformed himself into a modern Icarus and amazed the world as he risked his life in the skies to bring Il Duce down.
Taras Grescoe is the author of seven non-fiction books, including Sacré Blues, The End of Elsewhere, The Devil's Picnic, Bottomfeeder, Straphanger, and Shanghai Grand. Bottomfeeder won the Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-fiction, and was a finalist for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. He has contributed to the New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Gourmet, and The Wall Street Journal. His books have been translated into half a dozen languages. He lives in Montreal.
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