History

"Amasterpiece ...
one
of th
e
few
no
ve
l
s
in
any
lan
g
ua
ge
that
r
e
nders th
e
full
horror
of
Hitl
e
r
's
wa r. .
.
sp
l
end
id
and
absorbing."-Alfred Ka zin
,
Esquire

dv E NTU RA J

The Vinta
ge
Librar
y
of
Co
nt
e
mporar
y
World
Lit
e
ratur
e

Italian
Fiction

n
e
of
th
e few
nove
l
s
in
any
l
a
n
guage
th
a
t r
e
nd
e
r
s
th
e
full horror
of
Hitl
e
r
's
w
ar
,
th
e
wa r
th
a
t n
eve
r
ge
t
s
int
o
the
b
oo
k
s

. .
.
M
ora
nt
e
brin
gs
th
e wa r
back in
s
c
e
n
es
of a whole
n
e
i
g
h
b
o
rh
oo
d i ncludin
g
it
s
childr
e
n
and
d
o
m
es
tic p
e
t
s, s
croungin
g
fo
r
food,
lif
e, an
d th
e a
ir it
se
lf i n
s
id
e
bomb
s
helt
e
r
s
an
d
d
e
portation
tr
a
in
s.
S
h
e
bri n
gs
it
all
back b
y em p
h
as
i
zi
n
g
th
e
int
e
n
se
l
ove
b
e
tween m
e
mber
s
of
th
e sa
m
e
family
,
b
e
t
wee
n
a
child and a do
g,
th
e
c
o
n n
ec
tion b
e
t
wee
n th
e
h
ap
p
y
dail
y s
acrific
e
for
th
ose we
l
ove a
nd
o
ur in
a
bilit
y
to
save
b
y
lo
ve
those caught in the
ot
h
e
r d
a
il
y
machin
e
r
y
th
a
t i
s
call
e
d hi
s
tor
y."

-Alf r
e
d
Kaz
in
,
Esq
uir
e

"A
s
tor
y
t
e
ll
e
r
w
h
o s
p
e
llbind
s:'

-
Step
h
e
n
Spe
nd
e
r
,
The New
York R
evie w
of Book s

"A
m
a rve
l
of
a
no
ve
l
. .
a
ll th
e
pl
e
a
s
ur
es
that
fic
ti
o
n
can
offe
r.
"

-
Do
ri
s
G ru m bach
,
S
aturd a
y
Review

Translat
ed
from
th
e
Italian b
y
William Weave
r

$8
.
95
394
-
7?;1%-8

Cove
r
de
s
i
g
n
a
nd ha nd
tintin
g
by
K
e
ith
S
heridan
/
Ph
otog
raph
Be
ttmann
A
r
c
hi
ves

A NOVEL

H

istory
A Nove
l
ha
s
been
int
er
n
a
ti
o
na ll
y
r
ecog
n i
ze
d
as a
li t
erary
masterpiece
a
nd th
e
most

exc
itin
g
no
ve
l
to come out of
Ital
y
i n ma n
y yea
r
s.
It i
s
an immense
no
ve
l
,
spea
k
in
g
with
an
im m
e
n
se a
nd
affecting
po
we
r
of-and for-the
m
y
riad
ordinary,
"
l!nhi
s
tor ic
"
p
eo
pl
e
whose
li
ves,
blood i
e
d i n
eve
r
y ge
n
e
ra ti
o
n
,
a r
e
th
e
raw ma t
e
r i
a
l from
which
"g
r
ea
t
"
m
e
n fa
s
hion t h
e "g
r
ea
t
" eve
nt
s
that
a re
Hi
s
tor
y

Se
t
against
a
back
gro
und
of
a
Rom
e
ra
v
a
ge
d
by
World War II
,
thi
s
i
s
th
e
story
o
f
one
woma
n
'
s
fi
g
h t
for
surv
i
va
l
,
h
e
r
own
and th
ose
of
h
e
r
c
hild r
e
n
.
It i
s
t
o
ld
w
ith
an absolu te
e
m
ot
i
o
n
a
l tru t h
, w
i th
a n
u ncon
s
t r ict
e
d
f ullness of circu msta nce and f eeli ng
t ha t r
eca
ll
s
t h
e
n i n
e
t
ee
n t h c
e
ntur
y
no
ve
l
a
t it
s
g
r
ea
t
es
t
.

MORANTE

E

l
sa
Mora nt
e
was
born in
Rome
in 1
9
1
2.
Her
p rev ious
b
oo
k
s
i nclu d
e
t
wo
volumes of
po
e
tr
y,
a collection

o
f
stories
,
and
thr
ee
n
ovels,
among
th
e
m
Artu ros
I
s
land.