As the fascination with the remarkable life and works of John Randal Bradburne, martyr and war hero, continues to grow, this book endeavours to illuminate his significant contributions to postcolonial and world literature. It delves into John’s Franciscan-inspired ecological mysticism and topophilia, transforming contested landscapes into sacred spaces of devotion and spirituality through his original theopoetics of Trinitarian and Marian devotion. The narrative traces his pilgrimages across the Mediterranean, Italy, Israel, India, and Africa, ultimately leading to Mashonaland in Zimbabwe, in the leper colony of M’temwa, amid the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979). His verses testify to his unwavering mission to defend the land and dignity of patients affected by leprosy, which eventually cost him his life. This work is of interest for scholars of postcolonial and world literature and for anyone interested in the deep connections between religion, language, literature, and the life of saints.

Cover art:
Franciscan Allegories: Lady Poverty. Giotto da Bondone, 1330 ca, Lower Basilica, Assisi.
Courtesy of Wikimedia

This is the first book written about Maria Monaci Gallenga (b. Rome 1880—d. Perugia 1944), the enigmatic fashion artist and designer marginalized after decades of fortune and fame. The daughter of Ernesto Monaci, the illustrious philologist and mentor of Luigi Pirandello, Gallenga was the wife of a medical scientist related to the Gallenga Stuart family. The text outlines Maria Monaci Gallenga’s impact on the world of fashion, contextualizing her work and that of other contemporary forgotten fashion designers in the 1920s and 1930s. It sheds light on Maria’s cultural impact and idealism as a business entrepreneur in Europe and America promoting Italian art and culture. It also highlights her engagement in social and educational activities after she retired from the world of fashion, and explains the reasons behind her marginalization and disappearance, and the obstacles and constraints she faced during the years of fascism.

The book also considers the influence of the British arts and crafts movement and the vision of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood on her aesthetic vision, and, in turn, investigates Maria Gallenga’s influence on late Pre-Raphaelite paintings (Frank Cadogan Cowper) inspired by her designs and fabrics. The discovery of Maria Gallenga’s fabrics and accessories by the Fendi sisters in the Tirelli collection eventually sparked a new interest in her models, now enhanced by the digital media. The Metropolitan Museum in New York is celebrating its 150th anniversary with the Sandy Schreier Collection featuring Gallenga’s precious mantles and capes, previously unseen (2019–2020).

Download Laura Jiménez Izquierdo's article from "Modelo del mes 2023"

Laura Jiménez Izquierdo graduated in Art History from the University of Salamanca, with a master's degree in Contemporary Art History and Visual Culture from the "Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía." Since 2021 she has been a member of the "Cuerpo Facultativo de Conservadores de Museos del Estado" and works in the Documentation Department of the Museo del Traje in Madrid.

L’alba dorata è la prima monografia su Maria Monaci Gallenga (1880-1944), l’artista imprenditrice e fashion designer, finita nell’ombra dopo decenni di riconoscimenti e successi internazionali. Figlia dell'illustre filologo Ernesto Monaci, mentore di Luigi Pirandello, Maria Monaci divenne moglie di Pietro Gallenga, medico scienziato e oncologo, imparentato con la famiglia Gallenga Stuart.
Il testo delinea l’impatto di Maria nel mondo della moda, e ne contestualizza l’opera assieme a quella di altre donne imprenditrici e innovatrici nel campo della moda tra gli anni Venti e Trenta, che al pari di lei furono a lungo dimenticate. La riscoperta delle sue stoffe e delle sue creazioni nelle collezioni dei costumi che Umberto Tirelli aveva rilevato fu decisiva, anche grazie alle sorelle Fendi. Un omaggio significativo è l’esposizione attualmente in corso (2019-2020) di alcune sue creazioni tramite la Sandy Schreier Collection, al Metropolitan Musem di New York, in occasione dei 150 anni dalla fondazione. Una continuazione di questa ‘alba dorata’ è oggi testimoniata dai riconoscimenti londinesi alla nostra moda, ed al ruolo dei nostri stilisti, dalle umili sartine come Nives Losani che diviene sarta a Buckingham Palace, fino Giorgio Armani, denominato ‘King George’. Oggi i nostri giovani sono ‘creative directors’ a capo di aziende che sono al cuore dello stile della moda inglese, come la casa Burberry, preferita dalla Casa reale, ma infine anche nel cuore dell’impero della moda, ovvero Parigi, con Maria Grazia Chiuri che da Valentino è andata a dirigere Dior, come ‘creative director’ Dior. Ed era proprio quella Parigi che Maria Gallenga aveva osato sfidare con una moda italiana che fosse simbolo di identità estetica.