Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

The heroic legend of Mussolini enthused his supporters, but Violet Gibson came to feel differently. Read by Sinead Cusack.

Sinead Cusack reads from Frances Stonor Saunders' account of the troubled life of Violet Gibson, the daugher of an Anglo-Irish lord who attempted to assassinate Mussolini in Rome in 1926.

Mussolini was a man with a passion for living dangerously - his battle scars and near misses testified to that - and it was the heroic legend that he stoked which so enthused his supporters. But Violet Gibson came to feel differently.

Abridged by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.

15 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 24 Mar 201009:45
  • Thu 25 Mar 201000:30
  • Wed 2 Jul 201414:45
  • Thu 3 Jul 201400:45

Listen to more Audio Books

Listen to more Audio Books

Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.

Opening Lines

Opening Lines

John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Sample our books and authors Clip Collection

Sample our books and authors Clip Collection

Interviews, previews and reviews

Subscribe to the Short stories podcast

Subscribe to the Short stories podcast

Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

BBC Arts: Books

BBC Arts: Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.