Elsa Morante
La storia

People victimized by a war they did not choose, called to fight for ideals that instead conceal the dark objectives of the powerful, dying for causes they do not understand. Victims of a war that has destroyed a country, our country. In this landscape of desolation, we get to know the family at the center of the novel. A family of modest means that will move the reader from the very first pages. Ida Ramundo, a widow and mother of Nino, is subjected to the violence of a German soldier in Rome in 1941. It's incredible how such a beastly act, on the edge of human understanding, gives life to a prodigious innocent creature, Giuseppe, called Useppe. It is precisely this child's innocence, his tender way of seeing reality, his games and his laughter against a backdrop of death, that add greater depth to this novel. The family will endure all the trials of the Great War, from the loss of their home to the uncomfortable cohabitation with other evacuees, to the discomfort that only those who lived through those harsh years can comprehend, a discomfort stemming from the loss of all possessions. Nino, the eldest son, like most young people of the time, becomes eager in the face of events. The desire to grow up quickly, the longing for freedom and independence first lead him among the fascist ranks, then his rebellious nature takes him among the partisans, and finally, his courage makes him a victim of the police. Nino, a young man like many others, died before he could live. Little Useppe instead falls victim to his ailment, epilepsy. A child who, despite the circumstances, manages to live his childhood as though in a soap bubble. Elsa Morante, with a detached yet not indifferent tone, tells the story of these people, the story of the humble, of those who, although defeated on the battlefield, are victors in life and thus in history. In a single book, important themes such as war, violence, and the world of childhood set in a magical atmosphere are addressed. The truly fascinating aspect is that everything ugly—illness, death, war—is excluded from the child's vision. It is as if Useppe does not see the reality that surrounds him. He looks with the eyes of a child and through a healthy imagination, he processes within himself a fantastical world. For Elsa Morante, childhood thus becomes not only "unaware innocence but also immediate and joyous vitality." A novel that touches even the hardest and most cynical hearts. A novel that moves because it contains an extraordinary ingredient: historical truth intertwined with literature.