Book description
In 1875, General Garibaldi, the legendary military hero of Italian
unification, left his island retreat in the Mediterranean for Rome.
His battle cry no longer required, he was pursuing a mission that
would become an obsession in his old age: to divert the River Tiber
from Rome.
Through this forgotten episode, Daniel Pick explores Garibaldi's
passionate attachment to Rome and to Italy. In the bitter debate that
ensued many myths were laid bare, and prevailing medical, social and
political anxieties about the future of the state were exposed.
The flood-prone Tiber had caused havoc, disease and death throughout
history. In the capital, the General sought to replace it with a
Parisian-style boulevard that would be a wonder of the modern world.
But behind his florid promise to revitalise 'Italy' lay a complex and
shadowy history, including a traumatic event felt by Garibaldi as the
defining tragedy of his life: the loss of his wife Anita. Despite
himself, he became embroiled in the political labyrinth of Rome and a
drama of thwarted ambition, grand illusion and disillusionment, whose
significance was not lost on Garibaldi's later admirer, Benito
Mussolini, another self-styled redeemer of the Eternal City and the
fever-ridden marshes of Italy.
Daniel Pick studied English and History at Cambridge University. He
has taught for many years at London University and is currently
Professor of Modern History at Birkbeck College. He is also a
psychoanalyst and a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society. His
earlier books include
Svengali's Web: The Alien Enchanter in Modern
Culture
(2000).
