A date of birth usually seems like a logical—if somewhat uninspiring—way to begin the account of a life. Not so with Oriana Fallaci. An inveterate storyteller, she was constantly telling and revising the story of herself. From her childhood as a resistance fighter in Italy during World War II to a long career as a daring and high-profile war journalist, Fallaci’s life was by turns exciting, glamorous, and dangerous, yet always controversial. As one Fallaci burned brightly, another rose from the ashes, requiring a constant renegotiation of her identity and retelling of the facts (much to the consternation of more pedantic journalists). Sometimes aggressive, sometimes charming, but always passionate, Fallaci lived her life in the same limelight as the stories she told about the world. continued
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