Oriana Fallaci

News Obituary Article

Oriana Fallaci, 76, journalist known for tough interviews

Oriana Fallaci, 76, the Italian writer and journalist best known for her abrasive interviews and provocative stances, died Friday of cancer in a private clinic in her hometown of Florence.

Ms. Fallaci, who lived in New York, was a former Resistance fighter and war correspondent.

During her journalistic career she became known for challenging interviews with such world leaders as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Her work --- both interviews and books --- was distributed worldwide.

"Fallaci's manner of interviewing was deliberately unsettling: She approached each encounter with studied aggressiveness, made frequent nods to European existentialism (she often disarmed her subjects with bald questions about death, God, and pity), and displayed a sinuous, crafty intelligence," The New Yorker wrote in a profile this year titled "The Agitator."

Ms. Fallaci's recent publications --- including the best-selling book "The Rage and The Pride," which came out weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks --- drew accusations of racism and inciting hatred against Muslims.

"The Rage and The Pride" sold more than 1 million copies in Italy and found a large audience elsewhere in Europe. A group in France unsuccessfully sought to stop distribution of the book, while two other associations have requested that it carry a warning notice.

Her next essay, "The Strength of Reason," accused Europe of having sold its soul to what Ms. Fallaci described as an Islamic invasion. It also took the Roman Catholic Church to task for being what she considered too weak before the Muslim world.

© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution