Eric Newby
Eric Newby
Ufficiale dell'esercito britannico, Eric Newby (1919-2006) viene catturato dagli italiani nel 1942 al largo delle coste siciliane, nel corso di una missione di guerra. Nel marzo del '43 viene trasferito in un campo di prigionia nei pressi di Fontanellato, in provincia di Parma. L'armistizio dell'8 settembre lo coglie in ospedale, con una caviglia fratturata, mentre il paese precipita nel caos. In queste circostanze conosce una ragazza di origine slovena, Wanda Skof, che gli insegnerà l'italiano e lo aiuterà a fuggire sulle montagne del parmense. Il nucleo centrale del volume è dedicato al racconto di questa fuga, fino a quando, nel dicembre del '43, egli viene di nuovo catturato dalla milizia fascista. Scritto con la mano felice del romanziere, il libro apre squarci inediti sul mondo contadino, colti con gli occhi divertiti di chi appartiene a un ambiente completamente diverso e si destreggia a malapena con la lingua italiana. Sulle montagne Eric si nasconde, di casolare in casolare, condividendo le giornate e il lavoro dei contadini, tra la paura dei tedeschi, la solidarietà della gente comune e buffi intermezzi di vita quotidiana, lontano dal teatro della guerra. Nel breve epilogo il protagonista, ritornato sugli Appennini nel 1956 con la moglie e i due figli, racconta di aver appreso dai vecchi amici che un tempo l'avevano nascosto come e perché i militi fossero riusciti a catturarlo: una storia amara di tradimenti e denunce per evitare la rappresaglia fascista. Ma è ormai tempo di dimenticare.
Love and War in the Appennines
When the Italian Armistice was signed in 1943. Eric Newby left the prison camp in which he had spent a year and made his way through the forests and mountains south of the Po River. As German troops advanced behind him, Newby came to depend on an informal network of Italian peasants for food, shelter, and protection Love and War in the Appennines is Newby’s record of that time, a story filled with bizarre, funny, and often dangerous incidents and events. Newby writes of the idiosyncracies as well as the warmth and generosity of the people who gave him a temporary home, and reveals in often hilarious detail the awakening of his feelings for the local girl who would become his wife. Written with the wit and insight that are Newby’s trademark, this is a remarkable evocation of a special place and time.
Life and work
Newby was born and grew up near Hammersmith Bridge, London, and was educated at St Paul's School. After leaving school he worked for two years at The Dorland advertising agency until 1938 when he apprenticed aboard the Finnish windjammer Moshulu and took part in in what was known as the 'Grain Race' from Australia to Europe by way of Cape Horn. This voyage was subsequently described under the misleading title The Last Grain Race and pictorially documented in Learning the Ropes. In fact, two more grain races followed the 1939 race in which Newby participated, with the last race being held in 1949.
He served in the Black Watch and the Special Boat Section during World War Two, and was captured during an operation against the coast of Italy. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his part in the raid. From 1942 until 1945 he was held prisoner of war near Parma,
Italy. During a brief escape he was hidden by a Slovenian family, and met Wanda, who later married him and became a companion on his travels. These experiences were described in his memoir Love and War in the Appennines. A film, In Love and War, was made in 2001 based on the book, starring Callum Blue as Newby.
After the war, he briefly worked in the women's fashion business, (his father had owned a firm making ladies' mantles), before setting out to climb Mir Samir in the Nuristan Mountains of Afghanistan, an expedition later chronicled in A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush — probably his most widely-known work, and which included a meeting with Wilfred Thesiger. From 1963 to 1973, Newby was Travel Editor for The Observer newspaper.
Newby's best known works include A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, The Last Grain Race, and Round Ireland in Low Gear. He was awarded a CBE in 1994 and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the British Guild of Travel Writers in 2001. Newby's life and work was profiled in ITV's The South Bank Show (director Tony Knox) in 1994. He also made notable travel films for the BBC, returning to Parma with his wife Wanda in The Travel Show (director Paul Coueslant, 1994) and visiting one of his favourite cities, Istanbul (1996).
Newby died at age 86 in Guildford.
He served in the Black Watch and the Special Boat Section during World War Two, and was captured during an operation against the coast of Italy. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his part in the raid. From 1942 until 1945 he was held prisoner of war near Parma,
Italy. During a brief escape he was hidden by a Slovenian family, and met Wanda, who later married him and became a companion on his travels. These experiences were described in his memoir Love and War in the Appennines. A film, In Love and War, was made in 2001 based on the book, starring Callum Blue as Newby.
After the war, he briefly worked in the women's fashion business, (his father had owned a firm making ladies' mantles), before setting out to climb Mir Samir in the Nuristan Mountains of Afghanistan, an expedition later chronicled in A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush — probably his most widely-known work, and which included a meeting with Wilfred Thesiger. From 1963 to 1973, Newby was Travel Editor for The Observer newspaper.
Newby's best known works include A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, The Last Grain Race, and Round Ireland in Low Gear. He was awarded a CBE in 1994 and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the British Guild of Travel Writers in 2001. Newby's life and work was profiled in ITV's The South Bank Show (director Tony Knox) in 1994. He also made notable travel films for the BBC, returning to Parma with his wife Wanda in The Travel Show (director Paul Coueslant, 1994) and visiting one of his favourite cities, Istanbul (1996).
Newby died at age 86 in Guildford.
Michael Gilbert
Michael Gilbert
Michael Francis Gilbert (1912-2006), uno dei migliori giallisti della generazione del dopoguerra, nacque a Billinghay, nel Lincolnshire. Si laureò in legge nel 1937 e durante il secondo conflitto combatté in Nord Africa e in Italia. Nel gennaio del 1943 fu catturato dai tedeschi e internato a Fontanellato vicino a Parma. Da questa esperienza trarrà ispirazione per Death in Captivity (1952) (The Danger Within nell'edizione americana) un eccellente giallo ambientato in un campo di prigionia italiano.
Death in Captivity
Death in Captivity, set in a POW camp in Italy, is based on real experience, as the author had, in fact, been a prisoner of war. Although the escape plans in The Danger Within center around tunnelling, it was one of the few methods in which Gilbert himself was not directly involved. His first camp at Capua did not lend itself to such methods and he wasn’t at Campo P.G. 21 long enough to do any tunnelling. Tunneling at this next stop was out of the question, since the prison consisted of a single three-story building with basement in the middle of the village of Fontanellato five miles north of Parma. It was a prison designed to house troublemakers and habitual escapers. It would take all of Gilbert and Davies’ingenuity to break out of this place.
Unlike the Fascisti in charge of Campo 127 in The Danger Within, the Italian officers at Fontanellato were professional soldiers who treated their prisoners well. They knew—and respected the fact—that it was a prisoner’s duty to escape just as it was their duty to prevent those escapes. One of the amenities that the Campo 49 lacked was a place for the prisoners to exercise, other than a weekly walk under heavy guard outside the walls. These walks not only provided the prisoners with fresh air and a little exercise, they also provided them a knowledge of the local
geography which was to prove invaluable. Eventually, the Italians allowed the prisoners to build an exercise field outside the building. It was heavily guarded and enclosed by a barbed-wire fence. Since the ground was too rough for regular exercise, the prisoners were allowed tools to level the field.
The prisoners soon saw a possible means for escape and carefully constructed a small trench, roofing it over and disguising it each night. When it was finished, the British organized a game of rugby. When the scrum fell on top of the trench, two men climbed in and were roofed over hidden from view by the mass of bodies. At roll call, the two men were reported
to be asleep in sick bay and before the guards could reach their supposed resting place, two of the prisoners who had already been counted rushed in and occupied their bunks. The two men in the trench made it to the border where they could see the inhabitants of a Swiss village from their perch before they were recaptured.
By this time, the war was going badly for the Italians. The Allied invasion was going very well and it was expected that Italy would soon be out of the war. That, however, meant that the Germans would take over and this is what the prisoners most feared. Although a full-scale tunnel was not possible in Campo 49, the prisoners managed to cut into the stone walls above the basement to create a hiding place in case the Germans should try to seize control of the prison. In that event, the hole could be pushed through the wall, allowing the prisoners to escape at ground level.
Then on the evening of July 21, 1943, the prisoners heard shouting and cheering from the guards’quarters. Mussolini and the Fascist regime had been toppled. Soon villagers joined in the cheering, tearing down Fascist posters and smashing plaster busts of Il Duce to bits. The atmosphere had changed greatly, but as the days passed the prisoners’ status remained unchanged.
Finally, on September 9, the Italians cut a hole in the fence surrounding the exercise field and within a few days the prisoners marched out, free at last but far from out of danger. The Italian guards threw away their guns and went into hiding, fearing reprisals from the fast approaching German troops, who were determined to hold the northern regions of Italy.
Villagers gave the newly freed men clothes and food. Most of them chose to head for the Swiss border and interment until the end of the war. Gilbert and Davies wanted nothing to do with that option. One other prisoner, Toby Graham, joined them in their decision to head south instead toward the advancing Allies. They were about to embark on one of the most
remarkable journeys in the history of warfare, most of it along the 600-mile backbone of Italy, the Apennine mountain range. It was an ordeal that no doubt partially inspired Gilbert’s 1985 novel, The Long Journey Home.
The three men dodged German troops for next several weeks, aided by Italian peasants who opened their homes and barns to the former prisoners. Some days they fared better than others, but Gilbert was always determined to make the best of their situation. “Any bloody fool can eat and sleep rough,” he said, so the threesome quit their trek each day in time to find a suitable resting place, staying with peasants and avoiding the more prosperous homes which they feared might belong to unrepentant Fascist sympathizers. Eventually they made it through Tuscany and into the province of Marche, where they found refuge in a monastery. Gilbert and Graham talked to the Father Superior, mostly in Latin, and were invited to stay there to wait for the Allied arrival. Gilbert favored the idea but Davies and Graham pointed out that the Allies were still 200 miles away and that the Germans could still recapture them. The three continued on their journey but at one point, disagreeing over the route, Toby went his separate way.
The three miraculously met up again, along with another escapee, a South African named Hal Becker, just a few miles from the Allied lines. But the closer they got to the Allied lines, the more Germans they had to get through. Finally, they reached an open valley near those lines. It looked safe enough but they decided it would be best to go in pairs. Michael and Toby took off and made it without any difficulty. Ten minutes later Becker and Davies followed. Halfway across the valley, shots rang out and Becker was killed. Davies ran on and jumped over a crest only to fall into the hands of a German patrol. He was a prisoner again. Gilbert and Graham, on the other hand, made it safely to the Allied lines. Of the 400 officers who marched out of Campo P.G. 49, only a tenth made it to freedom. The rest were killed or recaptured by the Germans within days. Davies was sent to Moosburg POW camp in Germany, later famous for its “great escape” and brutal aftermath. Davies succeeded in escaping that camp as well but was recaptured near Prague where he spent the rest of the war.
Gilbert, who died in 2006 at the age of 93, went on to become an attorney and one of the most honored mystery writers of the second half of the twentieth century, Graham became a history professor at the University of Toronto, while Davies settled down as a country doctor. If such a thing as the “greatest generation” exists, these three—and their comrades—surely stood at the very front of its ranks.
Unlike the Fascisti in charge of Campo 127 in The Danger Within, the Italian officers at Fontanellato were professional soldiers who treated their prisoners well. They knew—and respected the fact—that it was a prisoner’s duty to escape just as it was their duty to prevent those escapes. One of the amenities that the Campo 49 lacked was a place for the prisoners to exercise, other than a weekly walk under heavy guard outside the walls. These walks not only provided the prisoners with fresh air and a little exercise, they also provided them a knowledge of the local
geography which was to prove invaluable. Eventually, the Italians allowed the prisoners to build an exercise field outside the building. It was heavily guarded and enclosed by a barbed-wire fence. Since the ground was too rough for regular exercise, the prisoners were allowed tools to level the field.
The prisoners soon saw a possible means for escape and carefully constructed a small trench, roofing it over and disguising it each night. When it was finished, the British organized a game of rugby. When the scrum fell on top of the trench, two men climbed in and were roofed over hidden from view by the mass of bodies. At roll call, the two men were reported
to be asleep in sick bay and before the guards could reach their supposed resting place, two of the prisoners who had already been counted rushed in and occupied their bunks. The two men in the trench made it to the border where they could see the inhabitants of a Swiss village from their perch before they were recaptured.
By this time, the war was going badly for the Italians. The Allied invasion was going very well and it was expected that Italy would soon be out of the war. That, however, meant that the Germans would take over and this is what the prisoners most feared. Although a full-scale tunnel was not possible in Campo 49, the prisoners managed to cut into the stone walls above the basement to create a hiding place in case the Germans should try to seize control of the prison. In that event, the hole could be pushed through the wall, allowing the prisoners to escape at ground level.
Then on the evening of July 21, 1943, the prisoners heard shouting and cheering from the guards’quarters. Mussolini and the Fascist regime had been toppled. Soon villagers joined in the cheering, tearing down Fascist posters and smashing plaster busts of Il Duce to bits. The atmosphere had changed greatly, but as the days passed the prisoners’ status remained unchanged.
Finally, on September 9, the Italians cut a hole in the fence surrounding the exercise field and within a few days the prisoners marched out, free at last but far from out of danger. The Italian guards threw away their guns and went into hiding, fearing reprisals from the fast approaching German troops, who were determined to hold the northern regions of Italy.
Villagers gave the newly freed men clothes and food. Most of them chose to head for the Swiss border and interment until the end of the war. Gilbert and Davies wanted nothing to do with that option. One other prisoner, Toby Graham, joined them in their decision to head south instead toward the advancing Allies. They were about to embark on one of the most
remarkable journeys in the history of warfare, most of it along the 600-mile backbone of Italy, the Apennine mountain range. It was an ordeal that no doubt partially inspired Gilbert’s 1985 novel, The Long Journey Home.
The three men dodged German troops for next several weeks, aided by Italian peasants who opened their homes and barns to the former prisoners. Some days they fared better than others, but Gilbert was always determined to make the best of their situation. “Any bloody fool can eat and sleep rough,” he said, so the threesome quit their trek each day in time to find a suitable resting place, staying with peasants and avoiding the more prosperous homes which they feared might belong to unrepentant Fascist sympathizers. Eventually they made it through Tuscany and into the province of Marche, where they found refuge in a monastery. Gilbert and Graham talked to the Father Superior, mostly in Latin, and were invited to stay there to wait for the Allied arrival. Gilbert favored the idea but Davies and Graham pointed out that the Allies were still 200 miles away and that the Germans could still recapture them. The three continued on their journey but at one point, disagreeing over the route, Toby went his separate way.
The three miraculously met up again, along with another escapee, a South African named Hal Becker, just a few miles from the Allied lines. But the closer they got to the Allied lines, the more Germans they had to get through. Finally, they reached an open valley near those lines. It looked safe enough but they decided it would be best to go in pairs. Michael and Toby took off and made it without any difficulty. Ten minutes later Becker and Davies followed. Halfway across the valley, shots rang out and Becker was killed. Davies ran on and jumped over a crest only to fall into the hands of a German patrol. He was a prisoner again. Gilbert and Graham, on the other hand, made it safely to the Allied lines. Of the 400 officers who marched out of Campo P.G. 49, only a tenth made it to freedom. The rest were killed or recaptured by the Germans within days. Davies was sent to Moosburg POW camp in Germany, later famous for its “great escape” and brutal aftermath. Davies succeeded in escaping that camp as well but was recaptured near Prague where he spent the rest of the war.
Gilbert, who died in 2006 at the age of 93, went on to become an attorney and one of the most honored mystery writers of the second half of the twentieth century, Graham became a history professor at the University of Toronto, while Davies settled down as a country doctor. If such a thing as the “greatest generation” exists, these three—and their comrades—surely stood at the very front of its ranks.
Life and work
Gilbert was a lawyer in London for many years and at one point had Raymond Chandler as his client. He had a very long and very productive writing career, beginning with his first novel, Close Quarters in 1946 and continuing through 1999 with Over and Out. He wrote almost every sort of mystery and thriller, perhaps spreading himself too thin over too many fields to achieve the reputation that many critics felt he deserved. He wrote police procedurals, spy novels and short stories, courtroom dramas, classical mysteries, adventure thrillers, crime novels, and almost every possible combination of these, all with the same competence and dry, detached wit.
Perhaps among his very best books are two collections of short stories about two gentlemanly but exceedingly hard-boiled fictional British counterspies, Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens, "middle-aged cut-throats" as one of their adversaries bitterly refers to them. One of his earliest novels, Smallbone Deceased, is also highly regarded by many.
Michael Gilbert was educated at Blundell's School and the University of London, where he read Law. After a spell teaching at a prep school, he joined the Honourable Artillery Company when war broke out, serving in North Africa and Italy. In 1943 he was captured and imprisoned in northern Italy, escaping after the Italian surrender.
Perhaps among his very best books are two collections of short stories about two gentlemanly but exceedingly hard-boiled fictional British counterspies, Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens, "middle-aged cut-throats" as one of their adversaries bitterly refers to them. One of his earliest novels, Smallbone Deceased, is also highly regarded by many.
Michael Gilbert was educated at Blundell's School and the University of London, where he read Law. After a spell teaching at a prep school, he joined the Honourable Artillery Company when war broke out, serving in North Africa and Italy. In 1943 he was captured and imprisoned in northern Italy, escaping after the Italian surrender.