Journalists and writer Pietrangelo
Buttafuoco was named new chairman of the Venice Biennale
Foundation Thursday replacing Roberto Cicutto when the latter's
term ends in March.
Buttafuoco, 60, was named by rightwing Culture Minister Gennaro
Sangiuliano and the opposition claimed the appointment was a
sign of a continuing rightwing takeover of key cultural posts
like state broadcaster Rai, which the government says is a
traditional part of Italy's spoils system.
Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) party said the appoitment
marked the "breaking of another glass ceiling", at a body where
leftist placemen and cronies have allegedly traditionally been
appointed.
Buttafuoco was a far-right activist in his youth like Premier
Giorgia Meloni but both have since espoused more traditionally
conservative or rightwing positions.
Buttafuoco, indeed, writes for leftwing daily Il Fatto
Quotidiano, a fierce Meloni critic, and another liberal daily
that staunchly opposes the premier, La Repubblica, as well as
for centrist daily Il Foglio and business daily Il Sole 24 Ore.
A witty, waspish and provocative writer, his books include Fogli
consanguinei (2003), Le uova del drago (2005), L'ultima del
diavolo (2008), Fìmmini (2009), Il lupo e la luna (2011), Fuochi
(2012), Il dolore pazzo dell'amore (2013), Buttanissima Sicilia.
Dall'autonomia a Crocetta, tutta una rovina (2014), I cinque
funerali della signora Göring (2014), Il feroce saracino (2015)
and La notte tu mi fai impazzire (Skira, 2016).
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