Air Show at Brescia, 1909

In 1909, municipal authorities built an airfield in northern Italy & invited the world's leading aviators to compete on it. The show attracted thousands of spectators -- among them Giacomo Puccini & Gabriele d'Annunzio -- & reporters, including Franz Kafka, Max Brod, & Luigi Barzini. This is an account of what happened in the air & on the ground before, during, & after this amazing moment at the dawn of the modern age. Demetz elucidates Kafka's subtle ambiguities about the consequences of flight, d'Annunzio's lust for power in aviation, Puccini's enthusiasm for speedy escapes, & Curtiss's modest heroism. This provocative work reveals a vital point where art & technology met in imagining the future. Illustrations.