Belvedere, year III, no. 1. Milan 1931
on pp. 5-8 the interview by Francesco Monotti with Ezra Pound 

 

 

Ezra Pound: The thing that interests me most in the world is civilization, the highest peaks of culture. Italy has civilized Europe twice. No other country has done it even once. Every time a strong, living energy is unleashed in Italy, a new Renaissance happens. […]  

 

Francesco Monotti: You have spoken of Italy and who governs it. Which man in your country would you compare to Mussolini? 

 

EP: Comparisons of this sort are not easy to make. I will say only that the one American historical figure that comes to mind, if I consider that part of Mussolini’s program that includes land reclamation, the Battle for Grain, and the mobilization of credit inside the nation, is Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and twice president of the United States. […]  

 

FM: So you believe that Italy is on the right track? 

 

EP: Italy is the only country in the world I feel cannot be governed better than the way it is governed already. Italy is headed towards power.