Virgilia D'Andrea (1888 - 1933)
Sat Feb 11, 1888
Virgilia D'Andrea, born on this day in 1888, was an anarchist activist and poet whose writings were suppressed by the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.
D'Andrea was politicized by the bloodshed of World War I and left teaching to join the movement against Italian participation in the war. By 1917, the state had deemed her an effective and dangerous radical anti-war agitator. Following Italy's entry into the war, both D'Andrea and her partner Armando Borghi were subjected to house arrest and legally confined for the duration of the war.
In 1922, she published her first book of poetry, "Tormento", which included a forward by Italian anarchist Errico Malatesta. A prominent free love advocate and noted anti-fascist, she fled Italy with the rise of fascism and emigrated to the United States.
In 1929, a second edition of "Tormento" was published, however the prints were immediately seized by the Italian government. Citing her outspoken advocacy of free love, Italian authorities charged D'Andrea with "reprehensible moral behavior" and asserted that she was committed to violence, with her verses "carefully composed to instigate lawbreaking, to incite class hatred, and to vilify the army."
D'Andrea died of breast cancer in New York City on May 12th, 1933, aged 45. A collection of writings "Torce nella Notte" (English: "Torches in the Night") was published in New York shortly after D'Andrea's death.
- Date: 1888-02-11
- Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, libcom.org.
- Tags: #Birthdays, #Anarchism, #Fascism.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org