In 1911, Margherita Sarfatti met Benito Mussolini (three years her junior) and started a relationship with him. During this time she was working as an art critic at the newspaper "Avanti!" After losing her husband in 1924, she wrote a biography of Mussolini. This was first published in 1925 in Britain under the title "The Life of Benito Mussolini"; it was published the following year in Italy with the title "Dux". Because of the fame of Mussolini and the author's familiarity with the dictator, the book was a success. Seventeen editions were printed and it was translated into 18 languages.