Virgilia D'Andrea (11 February 1888 – 12 May 1933) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

. A prominent

free love Free love is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. The movement's initial goal was to separate the state from sexual and romantic matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It stated that such issues were the concern ...

advocate and noted

anti-fascist 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 ...

, she may be best remembered as the author of ''Tormento'' (''Torment''), a book of poetry first published in 1922.

Biography

Early years

Virgilia D'Andrea was born in the town of

Sulmona Sulmona ( nap, label= Abruzzese, Sulmóne; la, Sulmo; grc, Σουλμῶν, Soulmôn) is a city and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in ...

, located in the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

region of

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 ...

, on 11 February 1888. Her family died when Virgilia was a young girl; thus from the age of six she was enrolled in a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

.Jack Grancharoff
"Forgotten Anarchists No. 9: Virgilia d'Andrea,"
''Red and Black,'' no. 1 (1964). D'Andrea would remain in Catholic boarding school until her eventual graduation to become a teacher.Marcella Bencivenni, ''Italian Immigrant Radical Culture: The Idealism of the Sovversivi in the United States, 1890-1940.'' New York: New York University Press, 2011; pg. 147. During the course of her education D'Andrea read hundreds of books, developing an affinity for poetry and assimilating radical anarchist politics during her self-directed intellectual journey. She joined the

Socialist Party of Italy The Italian Socialist Party ( it, Partito Socialista Italiano, PSI) is a social-democratic political party in Italy. The party was founded in 2007–2008 by the merger of the following social-democratic parties and groups: Enrico Boselli's Italia ...

as a vehicle to help advance her political beliefs.Robert Ventresca and

Franca Iacovetta Franca Iacovetta (born 1957) is a " feminist/socialist" historian of labour and migration currently working at the University of Toronto. Her dissertation, published as ''Such Hardworking People: Italian Immigrants in Postwar Toronto'', was supe ...

, "Virgilia D'Andrea: The Politics of Protest and the Poetry of Exile," in Donna R. Gabaccia and

, ''Women, Gender, and Transnational Lives: Italian Workers of the World.'' Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2002; pg. 302. In 1917 she met leading anarchist journalist

Armando Borghi Armando may refer to: * Armando (given name) * Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd * Armando (producer) Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...

at a meeting of a radical

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

which Borghi headed. D'Andrea and Borghi became companions and lovers, a relationship which flouted the moral sensibilities of the day. Although an advocate of

, D'Andrea is believed to have maintained a

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...

commitment to Borghi throughout her life. D'Andrea was politicized by the bloodshed of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and she left teaching to join the movement against Italian participation in the war. By 1917 state political security forces had begun a case file on D'Andrea, whom they deemed an effective and dangerous radical anti-war agitator. Following Italy's entry into the war, both D'Andrea and Borghi were subjected to

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

and legally confined for the duration of the war.

Writings

In 1922, she published her first book of poetry, ''Tormento'' (Torment), a work featuring an introduction by leading Italian anarchist

Errico Malatesta Errico Malatesta (4 December 1853 – 22 July 1932) was an Italian anarchist propagandist and revolutionary socialist. He edited several radical newspapers and spent much of his life exiled and imprisoned, having been jailed and expelled from ...

. ''Tormento'' was a collection of 19 poems written in the form of

rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...

, many of which first saw print in the pages of the official organ of the Socialist Party, ''Avanti!'' (Forward!).Bencivenni, ''Italian Immigrant Radical Culture,'' pg. 148. Thematically, her material reflected the tension of social protest prevalent in Italy in the aftermath of the war and expressed the author's anger and angst in the wake of political defeats dealt the Italian workers' movement in the period. The book was well received, with a total of 8,000 copies sold. The rise of

fascism 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 ...

in Italy forced D'Andrea to emigrate in 1923. Over the next six years D'Andrea lived in a series of residences in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1925, while living in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, D'Andrea published a second book — a volume of

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...

entitled ''L'Ora di Marmaldo'' (The Time of Marmaldo).

Emigration to America

D'Andrea emigrated to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

in the fall of 1928, settling in the city of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

.Bencivenni, ''Italian Immigrant Radical Culture,'' pg. 146. In 1929 a second edition of ''Tormento'' was published in Italy, the government of which was by then firmly controlled by

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

leader

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 ...

. This second printing was immediately seized by the authorities, who charged that its words "excited the spirits" and inspired revolt. Citing her outspoken advocacy of the doctrine of

, Italian authorities charged D'Andrea with "reprehensible moral behavior" and asserted that she was committed to violence, with her verses "carefully composed to instigate lawbreaking, to incite

class hatred Class discrimination, also known as classism, is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class. It includes individual attitudes, behaviors, systems of policies and practices that are set up to benefit the upper class at the expense of ...

, and to vilify the army."

Death and legacy

D'Andrea died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in New York City on 12 May 1933, aged 45.Bencivenni, ''Italian Immigrant Radical Culture'' pp. 148-149. A collection of writings, including poetry, prose, and autobiographical reminiscences, ''Torce nella Notte'' (Torches in the Night) was published in New York shortly after D'Andrea's death.Profile of Virgilia D'Andrea
katesharpleylibrary.net; accessed 31 July 2014.

Footnotes

Works

* ''Tormento.'' 1922. Second edition: Paris: La Fraternelle, 1929. * ''L'Ora di Marmaldo.'' Brooklyn: Libreria editrice Lavoratori Industriali del Mondo, 1925. * ''Torce nella Notte.'' New York: n.p., 1933.