Papini was a journalist, polemical critic, poet, and novelist, whose avant-garde polemics made him one of the most controversial Italian literary figures in the early and mid-20th century. The essays contained in this volume were selected from Papini’s 24 Cervelli (Four and Twenty Minds), his Stroncature (Slashings) and Testimonianze (Testimonies). They are surveys of men, and Papini writes that some of the essays are tributes of affection, some are slashings; some reveal neglected greatness, others demolish undeserved reputations. Some of those profiled in this volume include: Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Hegel, Walt Whitman, Hamlet, William Tell, Maeterlinck, and others. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.