'Il deputato della bellezza'. Gabriele d'Annunzio's aesthetic politics in the fin-de-siècle crisis

Two aspects of Gabriele d'Annunzio's tenure in parliament (1897-1900) are explored. The first concerns the means with which literary fame could be converted into political capital in fin-de-siècle Italy. By studying d'Annunzio's strategy, an attempt is made to define the features of his aesthetic politics. Relying methodologically on the sociological study of intellectuals, the article contributes to the historiographical/ theoretical debate regarding the forms of anti-utilitarian politics that emerged throughout late-nineteenth-century Europe, including the central role of revolutionary nationalism. The second aspect relates to the interaction between d'Annunzio's strategy and the broader picture of the crisi di fine secolo. In following the anti-liberal evolution of the regime, attention is focused on the institutional constraints and affordances that help explain d'Annunzio's apparently surprising ralliement to the radical Left.