Giuseppe Musolino

Giuseppe Musolino (September 24, 1876 – January 22, 1956), also known as the "Brigante Musolino" or the "King of Aspromonte", was an Italian brigand and folk hero.

Giuseppe Musolino.

Biography

Musolino was born in Santo Stefano in Aspromonte, in a rugged area of Calabria, in southern Italy.

He worked as a woodcutter in the Aspromonte area of Calabria, an isolated and mountainous region near the "toe" of the Italian "boot". On September 24, 1898, at the trial before the Assize Court of Reggio Calabria, despite the evidence brought by Musolino, the false testimonies of Rocco Zoccali and Stefano Crea, had helped sentence Musolino on September 28 to 21 years in prison for attempted murder.[1][2] On January 9, 1899, he escaped from jail.

Musolino was captured by Carabinieri while heading to seek pardon from Victor Emmanuel III of Italy on October 22, 1901, in Acqualagna near Urbino,[3] He was tried and sent to life in prison on July 11, 1902. He remained in prison until 1946 when he developed mental illness, and was transferred to an asylum in Reggio Calabria where he died on January 22, 1956.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Musolino as legend

It can be said that Musolino was seen by his countrymen as a symbol of the injustice Calabria was facing at the time. As an elusive fugitive, always managing to escape traps, Musolino stirred the imagination of many people in Italy and in short order he became a legend throughout Italy and abroad. He became the subject of many Calabrian folk tales and popular songs. The 1950 film Il Brigante Musolino, by Mario Camerini, was based on his life. His real life events were also the subject of the concept-album Il Brigante Musolino by Otello Profazio.[10]

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See also
  • Eric Hobsbawm's concept of the social bandit (see also Hobsbawm, Primitive Rebels, 1959)
  • Cesare Lombroso's "The Last Brigand" (1902)
  • Dan Possumato's book (paperback edition) King of the Mountains. The Remarkable Story of Giuseppe Musolino, Italy's Most Famous Outlaw (2013) Kindle edition (2012), Audiobook Edition, read by Italian actor Edoardo Camponeschi (2014)

References
  1. L'Italia del XX secolo. I volume (1899–1908). 1977. p. 86–87.
  2. Biografia di un bandito. Giuseppe Musolino di fronte alla psichiatria ed alla Sociologia. di E. Morselli e S. De Sanctis, Fratelli Treves Editori.
  3. Italian Brigand Musolino Captured, The New York Times, October 17, 1901
  4. L'arresto di Musolino e l'opinione pubblica in Calabria – Corriere della Sera 22–23 ottobre 1901.
  5. A proposito dell'apologia di Musolino – Corriere della Sera 27–28 ottobre 1901.
  6. Strano interrogatorio dell'imputato – Corriere della Sera 18–29 aprile 1901.
  7. Il processo di Musolino a Lucca – Corriere della Sera 17–18 aprile 1902.
  8. Il processo Musolino va avanti – Corriere della Sera 20–21 maggio 1902
  9. Dopo l'arresto di Musolino – Il Mattino 20–21 ottobre 1902.
  10. Enrico Deregibus (October 8, 2010). Dizionario completo della Canzone Italiana. Giunti Editore, 2010. ISBN 978-8809756250.
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