Edda Mussolini was Benito's favourite daughter and his confidante during 20 years of fascist rule. She acted as envoy to both Germany and Britain, helping steer Italy to join forces with Hitler.
UK historian and biographer Caroline Moorehead's Edda Mussolini: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe is an account of "the unravelling of the Fascist dream". Edda married Foreign Secretary Galeazzo Ciano, and they became a celebrated glamour couple in Roman society. Until, that is, Ciano became involved in a plot to bring Benito Mussolini down.
Caroline Moorehead's previous biographies include those of Bertrand Russell and Martha Gellhorn. Her most recent books have focussed on resistance to dictatorship and have been shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Orwell Prize and the Costa Biography Award.
Photo: Supplied
