45 Facts About Indro Montanelli

Indro Alessandro Raffaello Schizogene Montanelli was an Italian journalist, historian and writer.

Indro Montanelli was one of the fifty World Press Freedom Heroes according to the International Press Institute.

Indro Montanelli was a popular novelist and historian, especially remembered for his monumental Storia d'Italia in 22 volumes.

Indro Montanelli worked as editor of Silvio Berlusconi-owned newspaper il Giornale for many years but was opposed to Berlusconi's political ambitions, and quit as editor of il Giornale in 1994.

Indro Montanelli was born in Fucecchio, near Florence, on April 22,1909.

Indro Montanelli's father, Sestilio Montanelli, was a high-school philosophy teacher and his mother, Maddalena Doddoli, the daughter of a rich cotton merchant.

The name "Indro Montanelli" was chosen by his father after the Hindu god Indra.

Indro Montanelli obtained a law degree from the University of Florence in 1930, with a thesis on the electoral reform of Benito Mussolini's fascist regime.

Indro Montanelli began his journalistic career by writing for the fascist newspaper Il Selvaggio, then directed by Mino Maccari, and in 1932 for the Universale, a magazine published only once fortnightly and which offered no pay.

Indro Montanelli admitted that in those days he saw in fascism the hope of a movement that could potentially create an Italian national conscience that would have resolved the social and economic differences between the north and the south.

One of the students had asked him to explain the meaning of the essay that Indro Montanelli had just read out.

Indro Montanelli told him he'd repeat it since he clearly didn't understand.

Undaunted, Indro Montanelli pressed on that the automobile and Ford's revolutionary assembly line system had forever transformed the country.

Ford looked shocked, and Indro Montanelli realized that, like all geniuses, Ford hadn't had the slightest idea of what he'd really done.

When Mussolini invaded Abyssinia in 1935 with the intent of making Italy an empire, Indro Montanelli immediately abandoned his collaboration with the United Press and became a voluntary conscript for this war.

Aged 23, Indro Montanelli was put in charge of a 100-strong army of local men.

Indro Montanelli said he believed then that this was the chance for Italy to bring civilization to the 'savage' world of Africa.

On his return from Abyssinia, Indro Montanelli became foreign correspondent in Spain for the daily newspaper Il Messaggero, where he experienced the Spanish Civil War on the side of Francisco Franco's troops.

In fact the only casualty he noted, but never reported, by Indro Montanelli was a single death in the Alpini regiment caused by a mule kick that threw the unfortunate trooper down into a dry river bed.

The stand Indro Montanelli took against Fascism led him to his first serious conflicts with the Italian authorities.

Indro Montanelli began to correspond for this newspaper from Estonia and Albania.

Indro Montanelli was sent to report from the front in a Mercedes accompanied by German state functionaries.

Indro Montanelli was not welcome in Italy, and decided to move to Lithuania.

At this point Indro Montanelli continued to travel towards Tallinn as it was his wish to see the last of a free and democratic Estonia, which was invaded by Soviet Union.

At this point, Indro Montanelli was not popular in Italy, nor Germany because of his pro-Estonian and pro-Polish articles and had been expelled by the Soviet Union for being a foreigner.

In Finland Indro Montanelli began writing articles about the Lapps and the reindeer, although this was not for long as Molotov had made requests on the Finnish government for the annexation of part of the Finnish land to the Soviet Union.

Indro Montanelli was not able to write about the details of the talks between the Soviet and Finnish delegations, as they were shrouded in strict secrecy, although he was able to interview Paasikivi, who was happy to fill him in on everything except for the content of the talks.

Back in Italy Indro Montanelli's stories had been followed with great enthusiasm by the public, but not so enthusiastic was the response of the fascist leaders who were committed to an alliance with the Soviet Union.

Indro Montanelli escaped with the help of his friend Vidkun Quisling, and made a run for the north of the country where the English and the French were disembarking their troops at Narvik.

Indro Montanelli was eventually captured by the Germans, tried and sentenced to death.

In 1959, Indro Montanelli interviewed for the first time in history a Pope, office at the time held by Pope John XXIII; the Pope declared that he picked Indro Montanelli exactly because he was an atheist and not a Catholic sympathizer.

Indro Montanelli expressed a cutting indictment of the procedure in an interview on L'espresso, declaring: "A director is not sent away like a thieving house-servant" and, turning to the Crespi family, he branded their "authoritarian, bullying junta ways that they have chosen in order to impose their decision".

On 2 September 1977, Indro Montanelli was shot four times in the legs by a two-man commando of the Red Brigades, outside the Milanese head-office of Il Corriere della Sera.

Indro Montanelli credited his indoctrination as a child in the Balilla fascist youth and its mantra, "to die on your feet", for saving his life.

Indro Montanelli maintained that had he not held on to the railing during the incident the fourth shot would have surely hit him in the stomach.

When Silvio Berlusconi, who since 1977 had held the majority of shares in Il Giornale, entered politics with the founding of a new populist political party, Forza Italia, Indro Montanelli came under heavy pressure to switch his editorial line to a position favourable to Berlusconi.

Indro Montanelli never hid his bad opinion of Berlusconi: "He lies as he breathes", the journalist declared.

La Voce, which had garnered a devoted but limited readership, folded after about a year, and Indro Montanelli returned to Il Corriere della Sera.

In 1994, Indro Montanelli was awarded the International Editor of the Year Award from the World Press Review.

Indro Montanelli spent his last years vigorously opposing Silvio Berlusconi's politics.

Indro Montanelli was mentor to a significant group of colleagues, followers and students including Mario Cervi, Marco Travaglio, Paolo Mieli, Roberto Ridolfi, Andrea Claudio Galluzzo, Beppe Severgnini and Roberto Gervaso.

Indro Montanelli died on 22 July 2001 at the La Madonnina clinic in Milan.

Indro Montanelli had been nicknamed "The prince of journalism" by his own colleagues while he was still alive, gaining large esteem and consent even from liberals and left-oriented journalists; Enzo Biagi, Giorgio Bocca, Aldo Grasso, Gianfrancesco Zincone and many others considered him a master of the profession and his objectivity and attention to history as a model to teach and replicate.

Indro Montanelli left for posterity a number of first-person reportages and interviews with important historical figures, including De Gaulle, Mussolini, Pope John XXII and Churchill.

Indro Montanelli was a beautiful girl of 12 years," adding, "I'm sorry.