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A chill in the air : an Italian war diary, 1939-1940

Origo, Iris, 1902-1988, author, Hughes-Hallett, Lucy, writer of introduction, Lysy, Katia, writer of afterward

Overview

\"A harrowing account of life in Italy in the year leading up to World War II, available in the US for the first time. War in Italy in 1939 was by no means necessary or even beneficial to the country.But in June 1940, Mussolini finally declared war on Britain and France. The awfulinevitability with which Italy stumbled its way into a war for which they were illprepared and largely unenthusiastic is documented here with grace and clarity byone of the twentieth century's great diarists. This diary, which has never been published and was recently found in Iris Origo'sarchives, is the sad and arresting account of the grim absurdities that Italy and theworld underwent as war became more and more unavoidable. Origo, British-bornand living in Italy, was ideally placed to record the events. Extremely engaged withthe world around her, connected to people from all areas of society (from the peasantson her estate to the US ambassador to Italy), she writes of the turmoil, thedanger, and the bleakness of Italy in 1939 and 1940, as war went from a possibilityto a dreadful reality. A chill in the air covers the beginning of a war whose catastrophic effects are documentedin Origo's bestselling War in Val D'Orcia\"-- Provided by publisher.

• Publisher: New York Review Books
• Subject: Origo, Iris, 1902-1988 Diaries. / World War, 1939-1945 Campaigns France. / World War, 1939-1945 Italy. / World War, 1939-1945 Personal narratives, English. / BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Political. / HISTORY / Military / World War II. / HISTORY / Europe / Italy.
• ISBN: 9781681372648

Item info:

1 item available

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Holdings :

Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
D755.2.O75 2017	1	BOOK	AUTOSTORE