D'Annunzio, Gabriele

Italian poet, novelist, and dramatist. Marking a departure from 19th-century Italian literary traditions, his use of language and style of writing earned him much criticism in his own time. His novels, often combining elements of corruption, snobbery, and scandal, include L'innocente/The Intruder (1891) and Il triomfo della morte/The Triumph of Death (1894).

His first volume of poetry, Primo vere/In Early Spring (1879), was followed by further collections of verse, short stories, novels, and plays (he wrote the tragedies La Gioconda (1899) and Francesca da Rimini (1901) for the actor Eleonora Duse).

Elected deputy in 1897, he associated himself with the right-wing nationalism of the pre-war years, and was a controversial advocate of interventionism 1914–15, turning public opinion to the side of the Allies in 1915. After serving in World War I, he led an expedition of volunteers 1919 to capture the Dalmatian port of Fiume, which he held until 1921. His style of rule prefigured fascism, especially in its aestheticization of politics. He became a national hero, and was created Prince of Montenevoso in 1924. Influenced by the German philosopher Nietzsche's writings, he later became an ardent exponent of fascism.