Massimo Bontempelli's presence on the Twentieth century Italian
literary scene is significant not only because of his prolific
narrative, theatrical, and essayistic works, but also because of a
controversy that surrounded him both as a man and as a writer for many years. His affiliation with the fascist regime in the Twenties, which ended in the late Thirties, frequently overshadowed his literary achievements and merits1. With time, however, the readership and literary critics began to appreciate the undeniable originality of his literary opus, and dissociate it from his political views.