Remembered among the names of the greatest publishers of the 20th century together with Arnoldo Mondadori, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli was fundamental in the history of publishing, but also in political activism through active participation throughout his life.
Who was Giangiacomo Feltrinelli
Giangiacomo Feltrinelli of Gargnano (Milan, June 19, 1926 – Segrate, March 14, 1972), was an Italian publisher. He grew up in the Lombard capital in one of the aristocratic and wealthiest families of the peninsula. Inherit the noble title thus becoming Marquis of Gargnano, the city of origin of his parents. The father is an entrepreneur of great importance and is president of numerous companies including Edison, Feltrinelli Legnami, Credito Italiano and others.
The family begins to feel the first difficulties with the arrival of the second World War which forces them to move to their mother’s hometown near Lake Garda until the end of the conflict. Initially Giangiacomo took sides in favor of fascism but thanks to an interesting debate with the journalist Antonello Trombadori he clearly changed his political position by also taking an active part in the Resistance.
The birth of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli’s publishing house
Concluded the conflict takes part in the Italian Socialist Party where he also gets to know his first love: Bianca Dalle Nogare. Both, following a strong party crisis, choose to join the Italian Communist Party actively. It also undertakes to collect documents and testimony of the labor movement, laying the foundations for one of the largest research institutes on social history, i.e. Feltrinelli Library (which later became the Feltrinelli Foundation).
In the meantime he also founded the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore publishing house who chooses to initially publish international bestsellers, proving to be very interested in cultural openness. Among his titles more experimental works also emerge such as “Il Gattopardo” by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa which later became a great success also thanks to the film adapted by Luchino Visconti. To the literary and entrepreneurial events are inevitably joined also aspects of private life.
Giangiacomo Feltrinelli and political commitment
He decides in 1964 to leave for Cuba with the willingness to meet Fidel Castro with whom he establishes a strong relationship of friendship. Later he goes to Bolivia where he wants to meet a French journalist active in the guerrilla actions of Che Guevara. Here, after a series of ups and downs, he manages to obtain the highly successful material “Diary in Bolivia” which immediately becomes one of the publishing house’s greatest best sellers.
Feltrinelli’s political action also continues on his return to Italy, especially with regard to theattack in Piazza Fontana which leads him to mature extreme choices. In fact, he decides to found the Partisan Action Groups, a Guevarist paramilitary project, but things are not going in the best way. In 1972 his body is found by a farmer and investigations into his death are opened, which do not seem to convince everyone. For example, the Student Movement finds itself discussing the declaration that sees this death as accidental, leaving it as unconvinced as the Communist leaders and the Red Brigades who open internal investigations.