Kaputt

Curzio Malaparte (pseudonym of Kur Eric Suckert, 1898-1957) was born in Prato and served in World War I. An early supporter of the Italian Fascist movement and a prolific journalist, Malaparte soon established himself as an outspoken public figure. In 1931 he incurred Mussolini’ s displeasure by publishing a how-to manual entilted  Technique of the Coup-d’ Etat, which led to his arrest and a brief term in prison. During World War  II  Malaparte worked as a correspondent, for much of the time on the Eastern Front, and this experience provided the basis for his two most famous books,   Kaputt  (1944) and  The Skin  (1949). Malaparte’ s political sympathies veered to the left after the war. He continued to write, while also involving himself in the theater and the cinema.

Dan Hofstadter’ s last book was  The Love Affair as a Work of Art,   a study of French writers.   Falling Palace, about daily life in contemporary Naples, will be published in 2005.