He Wrote A Bodice-Ripping Novel.

The Cardinal's Mistress, a macabre work of historical fiction set in 17th-century Italy, was written by Mussolini in 1909. The book edition of the anti-religious newspaper serial, which was first published, proved extremely successful and was simultaneously translated into 10 different languages. Mussolini himself referred to it as "a horrible book" and "a story for seamstresses and scandal." The book mocked the Catholic Church with its foul language and licentious narrative.

Later, Mussolini would assert that the idea of The Cardinal's Mistress was based on actual events. Mussolini describes an extramarital relationship between a 17th-century cardinal of Trent and his lover, Claudia, in hastily written pages he churned out at night to earn some much-needed money. When the pope forbids the cardinal from getting married as a result of the affair, a series of narrative twists result in the death of the cardinal's niece (and only heir), the poisoning of his lover for rejecting the approaches of a cunning nobleman, and the cardinal's devastation and isolation.

It took nearly 20 years after the book's initial publication for it to be translated into English. By that point, Mussolini had renounced his former Socialist ideals in favor of an obnoxious, brawny, and frequently violent brand of Nationalism. After several years of escalating hostilities and threats, Mussolini's Italian Fascists overthrew the government in 1922, establishing totalitarian rule over the nation.