He's back

My Way: Berlusconi in His Own Words. By Alan Friedman. Biteback; 300 pages; 20. THE subtitle of Alan Friedman's new book on Silvio Berlusconi is misleading. Mr Friedman was granted unrivalled access to his subject: 'over 100 hours of meetings, videotaped interviews and conversations'. Yet Mr Berlusconi's words comprise but a fraction of the text. The rest is Mr Friedman, plus a team of 'editorial staff, researchers and fact-checkers'. The writing of Mr Berlusconi's authorised biography, for that is what it is, seems to have been an enterprise of appropriately extravagant proportions.The author, formerly a Financial Times correspondent in Mr Berlusconi's native Milan, says he warned his subject that the book would not be a hagiography. And the author takes care to balance the magnate-turned-politician's account of his life with other versions. He quotes extensively the former prime minister, his associates and others with whom Mr Berlusconi came into generally friendly contact, but any alternative narrative of his life is made to seem...Continue reading
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