Memoir of a communist firebrand

Luigi Pintor, a giant of the Italian left, was a member of the anti-fascist resistance, founded and edited the newspaper Il Manifesto and served as a member of the Italian parliament. His memoir, comprised of three short books translated for the first time into English, encompasses his early childhood in Sardinia, his experiences with the anti-fascist movement, his postwar politcal activism and his career as a journalist. But what makes this book stand out are his highly astute observations on politics and the deficiencies of modern culture. Memories from the Twentieth Century is richly detailed and elegantly written, but for a book by a communist firebrand known for his scathing newspaper editorials, a man who has personally squared off with the Blackshirts, one can’t help but feel that it should be a bit more energetic. Perhaps something has been lost in translation?