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Indro Montanelli

インドロ・モンタネッリ

Indro Montanelli

Aliases: Cilindro / Il Principe del giornalismo
Pen Names: Cilindro (nickname)（Nickname used by colleagues and readers; literally 'Top Hat'.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1909-04-22 （Fucecchio (near Florence)）
Died
2001-07-22 （Milan） age 92
Nationality
Italy
Languages
Italian
Religion
Atheism / non-religious
Residence History
Fucecchio (birthplace) → Florence (education) → Milan (long-term residence/work) → Switzerland (wartime exile)

Career

Occupations
journalist, historian, writer
Active Years
1930-2001
Affiliations
Corriere della Sera (journalist/contributor), il Giornale (founder & editor), La Voce (founder/editor)
Influenced By
Benito Mussolini (early admiration in youth; later repudiated), Webb Miller (influenced his accessible reporting style), Mino Maccari (editor at Il Selvaggio early in his career)
Influenced
Mario Cervi, Marco Travaglio, Paolo Mieli, Beppe Severgnini

Education

University of Florence
Faculty of Law / Department of Law
Degree: Law degree
Period: 1920年代–1930
Year of Graduation: 1930
Country: Italy
Thesis on electoral reform under Mussolini's regime; reportedly controversial at the time.

Awards

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
1995
Organization: Republic of Italy (Quirinal Palace)
Result: 受章
Order of the Lion of Finland (First Class Commander)
1992
Organization: Republic of Finland
Result: 受章
World Press Freedom Heroes
Organization: International Press Institute
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Storia d'Italia (History of Italy) — 22 volumes

history / historical series

A monumental 22-volume history of Italy written in an accessible style for a general readership.

Italian unification and modern historypolitical historywar and society

General Della Rovere (Il generale Della Rovere)

1959 novel (historical motifs) 250 pages

A novel inspired by prison experiences in wartime, exploring identity and role-playing; adapted into a film.

waridentityheroism and fabrication
Adaptations
  • [film] General Della Rovere / Roberto Rossellini (1959)
Translations
  • Original in Italian

Bibliography

  • Qui non-riposano (Three Crosses)
  • General Della Rovere
  • Storia d'Italia (History of Italy, 22 vols)
  • La stecca nel coro (collection of essays/columns)

Adaptations

  • General Della Rovere (film adaptation directed by Roberto Rossellini)

Translations of Works

  • General Della Rovere and others (translated into multiple languages)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, accessible proseacerbic irony and witreportage-based nonfiction style
Recurring Motifs
war and memorymodern Italian politicsintersection of individual and history

Health

  • typhus
    1940年代（戦時中）
    Temporarily limited his reporting/writing during illness; he recovered and continued his career.

Legacy

Remembered as one of Italy's leading journalists and a defender of press freedom, Montanelli remains a polarizing figure due to colonial-era actions and controversies (notably his marriage to a young Eritrean girl). His legacy combines professional esteem with ongoing moral and historical debates.

Archives

  • Corriere della Sera archives (holds some manuscripts and correspondence)

In Popular Culture

  • A monument to Montanelli in Milan has been the subject of protests and vandalism in recent years.

Quotes

  • He lies as he breathes.
    Source: Noted quotation attributed in interviews/press
  • If you lack the 'holy fire' for this work, it's pointless to do it.
    Source: Mentioned in his columns and interviews

Trivia

  • He was kneecapped (shot in the legs) by the Red Brigades in 1977.
  • His marriage to a young Eritrean girl during his time in Italian East Africa became a long-standing controversy.
  • Known by the nickname 'Cilindro' (Top Hat).