MILAN – War is a theme that attracts the attention of writers. From the classical era to modernity, there are many who have ventured into tales of war exploits, military operations, lives in the balance. Here is our selection of the 10 most significant authors who have written about war ever. After the 10 books that talk about the wars of the last 30 years , and our way of remembering, in the moment of extreme tension that we are experiencing with the Ukrainian crisis, that war is an evil that has always plagued the history of humanity and which must be absolutely avoided HERODOTUS– According to Cicero, this Greek originally from Asia Minor, properly from Halicarnassus, is the true father of history as a discipline. Herodotus is famous for having described the countries and people he met in the numerous trips he made and for having told the Persian invasion of Greece in the “Stories”. CAIO GIULUIO CESARE – When we talk about war written in writing, how can we not think of the faithful chronicles that this great Roman leader made of his campaigns
. In addition to “De bello Gallico”, probably his best known work, Cesare is also the author of a commentary on the civil war which saw him contrasted with Pompey and the Roman Senate (“De bello civil”), and some spurious works, included in the so-called “Corpus Caesarianum”. NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI– The Italian historian, writer, playwright and politician who lived between 1400 and 1500 did not deal with war only in his most famous work, “The Prince”. Machiavelli has in fact dedicated a reflection to himself on the topic in “On the art of war “, written in the form of dialogue in order to “honor and reward virtues, not despise poverty, estimate the ways and orders of military discipline , forcing citizens to love one another, to live without sects, to value the private sector less than the public “. SUN TZU – “ The art of war”, Probably the oldest strategic manual in history, has turned over the years into a real cult text for anyone who wants to achieve a goal in life. Sun Tzu’s philosophy is very clear: the best way to be sure of winning a war and to ensure victory even before starting to fight. An objective that can be reached by studying the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, maintaining awareness of one’s limits but also confidence in one’s strength, continually surprising the enemy. And, first of all, by checking the information, because thanks to knowledge the fate of the battle can really be written before the fight begins. EMILIO LUSSU– The Sardinian writer (1890-1975) deserves the credit for having told the Great War in a perhaps unattainable way, in his novel “ A year on the plateau“, Written in 1936 and appeared for the first time in France in ’38 and then in Italy in 1945. The Plateau of the title and that of Asiago, the year in question runs from June 1916 to July 1917. A year of continuous assaults on impregnable trenches, absurd battles desired by commanders imbued with patriotic rhetoric and vanity, often tragic and sometimes grotesque episodes, through which war is revealed in its harsh reality of ‘idleness and blood’, of ‘mud and cognac ‘. With a dry and at times ironic style Lussu stages a ruthless indictment against the horror of war without polemical tones, describing with force and authenticity the feelings of the soldiers, their dramas, the errors and inhumanities that would have led to the defeat of Caporetto . ERNEST HEMINGWAY– The American writer and journalist (1899-1961) recounted in his books the drama of the war and the effects of the conflict on the lives of the individuals involved. “ A farewell to arms” is the story of love and war that Hemingway had always thought about writing, drawing inspiration from his experiences in 1918 on the Italian front, and in particular from the wound sustained in Fossalta and the passion for the nurse Agnes von Kurowsky. In “ For Whom the Bell Tolls ”, however, the young American intellectual Robert Jordan, a volunteer in the anti-Franco army, is placed at the center of the action. ITALO CALVINO – The Italian writer (1923-85) actively participated in the guerrilla warfare, and talked about it in his works. His first novel “The path of the spider’s nests “, where the conflict is told through the eyes of Pin, a disbanded child, passed, as if by chance, from the violent games of childhood to the harsh reality of the conflict, and the collection of short stories” Last comes the crow ”, Combine the realistic elements with that fantastic vein that will later be characteristic of all of Calvino’s subsequent production. BEPPE FENOGLIO – Called up to arms in 1943, at the age of 21, after the disbandment following 8 September 1943, Beppe Fenoglio joined the first partisan formations. His best-known books – “ A private matter ” and “ The Partisan Johnny”- tell the stories of young fighters, between love and war, pitched battles and relationships between different partisan groups. CARLO CASSOLA – From his experience in the ranks of the resistance during the Second World War, Cassola was inspired to write. But his most famous novel, ” Bube’s Girl “, marks a profound break in post-war Italian fiction. Even if it is inspired by a real story, the novel is enriched with psychological and lyrical elements that go beyond the neo-realist demands, both for the language and for the rejection of ideological dogmatisms. FIRST LEVI– Even if the testimonies left by Primo Levi go beyond the war ones proper, how can we not mention this author who told the world about the terrible experience of the concentration camps.
Among his most famous works, we remember ” If this is a man “, ” The truce ” and ” The star key “.
