«An Italian story», between insouciance and disenchantment

Tuesday's books - Amélie Wauthier

Attalo was just six years old when his father had his skull blown off in a hunting accident, leaving him alone with his mother. In his search for masculine reference points, Attalo finds a first-rate paternal substitute in Benito Mussolini. And in fascism, the promise of a «New Order», of belonging.

«Attalo realized that redemption existed only within the group. To become one of those beings whose true nature lay hidden beneath the surface. To internalize their conformism. To integrate it, to strengthen it. To silence the individual within him, from whom could arise only his worst enemy: self-doubt.»

The child of Armando Mancuro, known as «»the professor,", and Maddalena, a village girl with the face of a simple child, knew he could count on his charisma to «try his luck in the big leagues» and set out to settle in Florence. He becomes a journalist, writes articles praising the «Duce,» and quickly carves out a place for himself among the elite. In 1935, Attalo Mancuso enlists as a volunteer for the conquest of Abyssinia, a war said to be «easy to win» but which will in fact confront our antihero with his doubts and disillusionments.

This is the story of a first name: Antonio Giuseppe Maria, quickly renamed Attalo Sotere, before becoming Attalo Mancuso d’Altavilla. A first name that evolves alongside the adventures of its bearer, like a reflection, giving rise along the way to numerous nicknames and monikers—some more humiliating than others—from his peers. 

This is the story of a child, cradled in the arms of a mother he despises and the heroic tales of a father whom he will desperately try to please. A child growing up in early 20th-century Italy^th A century, a dream of glory and an extraordinary destiny. A child who becomes a man and tries at all costs to convince himself that his struggle has meaning, so as not to confront his doubts and contradictions. It is the story of a country—a country in crisis, nostalgic, searching for an identity and new heroes to idolize.

A compelling debut novel

In this debut novel, Laura Ulonati brings to life an Italy in search of power and honor through a brief, dense, and compelling narrative. The style is understated yet powerful. The characters and landscapes are vivid and full of life. Having immigrated to France as a child, the author writes that she has no memories of the Italy that «colonized her imagination.».

And so she immersed herself in the culture of her country of origin through the works of the great writers and figures who have shaped Italy—authors whose influence can be seen throughout the narrative. Laura Ulonati exposes fascism—its mechanisms, its ridiculousness, and its absurdity. She invites us to reflect on ourselves and on the place of women and foreigners in Italian society at that time. These are issues that remain very much relevant today, across all walks of life.

Laura Ulonati
An Italian Story
Editions Gallimard
2019
128 pages

Write to the author: [email protected]