A Century of Italian War Narratives

Book excerpt: This volume focuses on acts of courage, defiance, and sacrifice undertaken during World War I and II by individuals that mainstream history has relegated to the sidelines. Drawn from different genres – literary, cinematic, diaristic and historical – the experiences that these ‘outsiders’ confronted lay bare the intimate, if lacerating, choices that they faced in their struggle for freedom. Ignored by official history, the testimonials that war prisoners, female partisan leaders, spies, deserters, and disillusioned soldiers offer, provide a fresh insight into the social, political, historical, and ethical contradictions that define warfare rhetoric in the twentieth century. The book’s ten contributors delve into the conflicts between oppressive authorities and the desire for freedom. With verve and energy, they revive these largely neglected voices and turn them into a provocative medium to discuss, and redefine, issues still relevant today: heroism, pacifism, national pride, gender issues, faith, personal and collective history.