''Il Becco Giallo'' (Italian: 'Yellow Beak') was an

antifascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

satirical magazine in the 1920s in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

.Un novecento da ridere
, by Alessandro Frigerio The magazine existed between 1924 and 1926.

History

''Il Becco Giallo'' was founded by Alberto Giannini in 1924, and the first issue appeared on 13 January that year. The editorial column of the first issue sided clearly against fascism:

..we support ..with all our energy the opposition, which heroically resists the fascist regime of dictatorial violence that has inverted all moral values and through terrorism enslaved Italy to a band of raiders, and defies every day the most brutal aggression and struggle for suppressed freedom for the trampled thousand-year old Italian justice, for the restoration of constitutional guarantees, to restore prestige to Italy in the world.

''Il Becco Giallo'' was based in Rome. The

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the magazine which was published on a weekly basis was

Alberto Cianca Alberto Cianca (1884–1966) was an Italian journalist and anti-fascist politician. He edited several significant publications, including '' Il Mondo'', and served in the Parliament and Senate. Early life and education Cianca was born in Rome on ...

. One of the contributors was

Stefano Siglienti Stefano Siglienti (1898 – 1971) was an Italian banker and politician who served as the minister of finance from 18 June until 12 December 1944. He held several banking posts until his death. Early life and education Hailed from intellectual b ...

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

, for his devotion to

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

, was one of ''Il Becco Giallo'' 's satirical targets, and used to be called ''P.Randello'' (''randello'' in Italian means '

club (weapon) A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times. There are several examples of blunt-force trauma caused ...

').Chiesa, Adolfo (1990
''La satira politica in Italia: con un'intervista a Tullio Pericoli''
p.38 In 1926 the

fascist regime Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

forced Giannini to close it and emigrate to France.BeccoGiallo: fumetti impegnati e resistenza editoriale
in Fanzin-Arte Editor-in-chief Alberto Cianca also fled to Paris where he managed to continue to publish ''Il Becco Giallo''. In the same period, two magazines emerged in Italy that were characterized for developing an innovative

surreal humour Surreal humour (also called surreal comedy, absurdist humour, or absurdist comedy) is a form of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causal reasoning, thus producing events and behaviours that are obviously illogical. Portrayals of surrea ...

, the ''

Bertoldo ''Bertoldo'' was a biweekly magazine of surreal humour that ran from 14 July 1936 to 10 September 1943 under Italian Fascism. The magazine was based in Milan. While the '' Becco Giallo'' magazine put out courageous political satire against the f ...

'' and the ''

Marc'Aurelio ''Marc'Aurelio'' was an Italian satirical magazine, published between 1931 and 1958, and briefly resurrected in 1973. History and profile The weekly magazine was founded in Rome by Oberdan Catone and Vito De Bellis in 1931. It was the first satir ...

''; the authors of these magazines were reactionaries that avoided political satire to comply with the regime.

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was awa ...

in De Franceschi, Leonardo (2001
''Lo sguardo eclettico: il cinema di Mario Monicelli''
p.2
excerpt
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History

See also

Notes

Further reading