Leo Longanesi
Leo Longanesi | |
|---|---|
Longanesi in the early 1950s | |
| Born | Leopoldo Longanesi 30 August 1905 Bagnacavallo, Italy |
| Died | November 27, 1957 (aged 52) Milan, Italy |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | University of Bologna (J.D.) |
| Period | 20th century |
| Genre | |
| Subject | Italian society and customs |
| Literary movement | Strapaese |
| Years active | 1920–1957 |
| Spouse |
Maria Spadini
(m. 1939; died 1957) |
| Children | 2 daughters, 1 son |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in Italy |
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Leopoldo "Leo" Longanesi (30 August 1905 – 27 September 1957) was an Italian journalist, publicist, screenplayer, playwright, writer, and publisher. Longanesi is mostly known in his country for his satirical works on Italian society and people. He also founded the eponymous publishing house in Milan in 1946 and was a mentor-like figure for Indro Montanelli (a journalist and historian, and the founder of Il Giornale, one of Italy's biggest newspapers).
Between 1927 and 1950, Longanesi published several magazines, including L'Italiano (1926), Omnibus (1937), and Il Borghese (1950), the last of which is a cultural and satirical weekly paper with conservative orientation. Longanesi described himself as a "cultural anarchist", or "conservative anarchist", and he headed a popular right-wing group, which embraced conservatism, agrarian virtues, anti-democracy, and nostalgic post-fascism after World War II, even if during the regime he himself had mocked it very often and continued to remain apart from neo-Fascist movements.
Longanesi was an elegant and refined cartoonist who wrote several books of memoirs, characterised by a ruthless streak such as In piedi e seduti, Una vita, and Ci salveranno le vecchie zie?