Oriana Fallaci: The Journalist, the Agitator, the Legend

(Paperback)

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A landmark biography of the most famous Italian journalist of the twentieth century, an inspiring and often controversial woman who defied the codes of reportage and established the "La Fallaci" style of interview. A landmark biography of the most famous Italian journalist of the twentieth century, an inspiring and often controversial woman who defied the codes of reportage and established the "La Fallaci" style of interview. Oriana Fallaci is known for her uncompromising vision. To retrace Fallaci's life means to retrace the course of history from World War II to 9/11. As a child, Fallaci enlisted herself in the Italian Resistance alongside her father. Her hatred of fascism and authoritarian regimes would accompany her throughout her life. Covering the entertainment industry early on in her career, she created an original, abrasive interview style, focusing on her subject's emotions, contradictions, and facial expressions more than their words. When she grew bored of interviewing movie stars and directors, she turned her attention to the greatest international figures of the time- Khomeini, Gaddafi, Indira Gandhi, and Kissinger, placing herself front and center in the story. Reporting from the front lines of the world's greatest conflicts, she provoked her own controversies wherever she was stationed, leaving behind epic collateral damage in her wake. Thanks to unprecedented access to personal records, Cristina De Stefano brings back to life a remarkable woman whose groundbreaking work and torrid love affairs will not soon be forgotten. Oriana Fallaci allows a new generation to discover her story, and witness the passionate, persistent journalism that we urgently need in these times of upheaval and uncertainty.

Reviews

The first authorized biography we have of Fallaci, with access to new personal records, and welcome for that reason[Oriana Fallaci] is never dull. New York Times

De Stefano rises to the challenges of describing such a dramatic lifean examination of Fallacis methods that gets so close to her special magic that it ought to be required reading for all reporters. Indeed, anyone who takes time for this compelling biography will experience the tingle of that magic, and with it the continuing power of honest, hands-on journalism. Washington Post

Engrossing. The New Yorker

[Fallacis] interviews remain studies in speaking truth to powerFallaci was a piquant, stylish beauty, self-consciously photogenic in the Joan Didion way, a midcentury woman writer vigilant about her public image. Fallaci lived a genuinely romantic life, too, with stormy loves and war wounds. But De Stefano, who had access to living friends, family members and colleagues as well as archives and letters, reveals another side to her life. New York Times Book Review

A new biography gets Oriana Fallaci the way people who knew her couldnta fascinating and utterly sui generis life. Los Angeles Times

[De] Stefanos authoritative examinationoffers bracing insight into a woman who defied conventionFallacis era is over but the stories remain as vivid as her adventure-filled life. Boston Herald

Exceptionalthis biography is a must read. Literary Hub

Brisk, even-handedI suspect that Oriana Fallaci would have enjoyed it. Times Literary Supplement

In this meticulous, perceptive, and dramatic portrait, De Stefano reveals the full intensity and sensitivity of a trailblazing warrior writer. Booklist(starred review)

The great Italian writer gets her due in this short but captivating biographya superb introduction to the life of an irreplaceable figure. Kirkus Reviews

De Stefano peels away the layers of mystery surrounding journalist Oriana Fallacian intimate investigation into a larger-than-life personality.Publishers Weekly

In Cristina De StefanosOriana Fallaci,the stories about Italys most controversial journalist have the power to stun as they race forward, one more astonishing than the nextDe Stefano handles Fallacis turbulent personal side with care[and] has a terrific ear for Fallacis most piquant quotesthe spirit of the book: headlong and direct, all the while maintaining an understanding of a reporters commitment to asking hard questions. Washington Independent Review of Books

The first major work to emerge in English since its subjects death[Oriana Fallaci] offers the most readable and approachable overview of Fallacis life. Standpoint

De Stefanos work offers a deeply perceptive insight into the fascinating Italian journalist, delivered in a riveting and engaging narrative style thats evocative of Fallaci herself. PopMatters

This is as powerful a life story as you will ever read.Foreword

Cristina De Stefanos new bookOriana Fallaci: The Journalist, the Agitator, the Legendtakes a fresh look at the exceptional life and career of Fallaci, while also revealing a softer side of the notoriously hard-headed and private intellectual. Women in the World, New York Times Affiliate

Biographer Cristina de Stefano has written a fine portrait of Fallaci that is indeed, a la Fallaci, in its sharp journalistic styleDeStefano takes us inside Fallacis turbulent personal life and her formidable accomplishments as a skilled and courageous foreign correspondent. It is a potent reminder that real journalists were valued for much more than a sensational scoop or headline, and like Fallaci they put everything on the line at great personal cost for their chosen profession and craft. New York Journal of Books

In her authorized biography,Oriana Fallaci: The Journalist, the Agitator, the LegendCristina De Stefano reminds readers of Fallacis journalistic legacy. Wall Street Journal

A terrific book about courage, ambition and old-fashioned Italianchutzpah. These are the qualities that made Oriana Fallaci one of the most celebrated journalists of her time. This is a compelling biography of a pioneer of journalistic fearlessness. Charles Kaiser, author ofThe Cost of Courage

A gripping account of the controversial Italian journalists rise from schoolgirl Partisan courier to courageous war reporter, celebrated author and the worlds most feared and admired interviewer. Cristina De Stefano brings to life all the public success and private struggles of a woman who battled her way to the top of a world shaped by men, taking on Henry Kissinger, Muammar Gaddafi and Ayatollah Khomeini along the way.Oriana Fallaciis as vivid, bold and endlessly surprising as its subject. Rachel Aspden, author ofGeneration Revolution

Author Bio

Cristina De Stefanois a journalist and writer. She lives and works in Paris as a literary scout for many publishing houses in the world. Her booksBelinda e il mostro- Vita segreta di Cristina Campo(Adelphi 2002) andAmericane avventurose(Adelphi 2007) have been translated in French, German, Spanish, and Polish. Marina Harss' translations include For Solo Violin (Per Vionlino Solo), a war memoir by Aldo Zargani, and stories in The Forbidden Stories of Marta Veneranda, by Sonia Rivera-Vald. Her translations have also appeared in Bomb, Brooklyn Rail, and Autadafe. She is a researcher at The New Yorker, and lives in New York City.