Abstract

The memory of fascism in Italy is a topic that receives considerable attention, both in political and cultural debates and within academic research. In recent years, numerous volumes have been published which, approaching the subject from different perspectives, investigate the persistence of fascist memory by studying cultural products. Two books, The Italian Literature of the Axis War by Guido Bartolini, and Against Redemption by Franco Baldasso, analyze the complicated formation of fascist memory using literary texts as main sources. Two other volumes, I luoghi del fascismo edited by Giulia Albanese and Lucia Ceci, and Curating Fascism edited by Sharon Hecker and Raffaele Bedarida, consider memory from the viewpoint of public spaces and art exhibitions. These four volumes provide a deeper exploration of the influence of fascism in republican Italy (from the early years of the republic to the present day) and the role of literature, architecture, and art in shaping the collective memory of a community. These four books, moreover, offer the opportunity to discuss the investigative methods and theoretical frameworks inherent the study of fascist memory, and, more broadly, the study of memory using literary and artistic products as sources