"Inspiring Fellini re-examines the filmmaker's oeuvre, taking into consideration how it was influenced by his prominent writers and intellectuals, including Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Andrea Zanzotto. Federico Pacchioni presents a complex portrait of Fellini that goes beyond that of the stereotypical solitary genius, as he has often been portrayed by critics. Pacchioni explores the dynamics of Fellini's cinematic collaborations through analyses of his contemporaries' other creative projects, their contributions to the conceptualization of Fellini's films, and their conversations with Fellini himself"--page i.