Villains between History and Literature

Abstract

Two villains, a dictator and a book thief, made their way into popular biographical books published in Italy this past year. They drag along with them a third “villain,” the author who dares to cross boundaries between narrative fields: a novelist who writes a history book, and a biographer who leans toward fiction. They represent three very different ways of playing with the fine line between ethics and immorality, legitimacy and illegitimacy, reality and imagination. This dangerous game proves to be a raw topic in Italy, and it is the core of this review essay.¹