A standout read.

The Russian Review

This fascinating study reconstructs the remarkable story of Umberto Montini, an Italian soldier who survived the Second World War and Soviet internment. Maria Cristina Galmarini examines the impact of war and captivity through a skillful analysis of Montini's extraordinary personal archive, revealing how individuals made sense of traumatic memories and experiences, and rebuild fragile identities.

Robert Dale, Senior Lecturer in Russian History, Newcastle University, UK 

Drawing on theoretical approaches to trauma, memory, and historical narrative, this fascinating book highlights two moments in the entangled history of an Italian youth captured on the Soviet front: the war itself, and the commemorations fifty years later, which spurred him to revisit the emotional landscape of his youth.

Diane P. Koenker, Professor Emeritus of Russian and Soviet History, University College London, UK

Galmarini reveals herself in this short masterpiece on the complexity of human memory as an astute, compassionate and diligent historian of her subject Umberto Mantini, a former Italian soldier and Soviet prisoners of war. She is respectful and attentive to his story and motivations, yet she does not allow him or herself any slack in picking apart the many layers of meaning that are embedded in his primary story and which make his tale transcend the genre of soldier memoir. A superb and sharp writer, she retains warmth and curiosity throughout. I have rarely read a book that is written with such analytical aplomb and yet conveys humanity in abundance.

Juliane Fürst, Professor of Contemporary History, Central European University, Austria