The World is a Prison

by Guglielmo Petroni, John Shepley (Translator)

Overview

This classic of war literature is the story of Guglielmo Petroni—not only his experiences in the hands of Fascist police and the Gestapo, but a meditation on the survival and growth of his compatriots and his nation. Terror, uncertainty, the fear of death, and the brutality he encounters at nearly every turn are all described in concrete terms, but the author's restrained tone, informed by a sense of paradox and the absurd, conveys a depth of feeling that makes this memoir all the more remarkable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810160514
Publisher:	Northwestern University Press
Publication date:	10/30/1999
Edition description:	1
Pages:	129
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Guglielmo Petroni was born in 1911 in Lucca, Italy, and died in 1993 after a distinguished literary career. "The World Is a Prison" has been almost continuously in print in Italy since first being published in 1948. Italian critics consider it to be Petroni's masterpiece.

Editorial Reviews

In this slim volume, Petroni, an Italian intellectual arrested for political reasons by the Germans in 1944, reveals what it was like to be imprisoned in Rome by the Gestapo. The interrogations, the unprovoked beatings, and the bleak surroundings caused Petroni to question the meaning of life and freedom and to debate the true extent of a prison's walls. Petroni was severely tortured by his captors because he refused to give the names of those who shared his "heretical" political beliefs. He assured himself that it is not because he was so brave but because he felt there was no benefit to naming names. He survived by forcing his mind to go blank and become totally apathetic. The most fascinating twist to Petroni's story was his denial that he was free when he was released--hence the title. Continuously in print since 1948, this book is considered a masterpiece by Italian critics. A marvelous little memoir, finally in English; recommended for public and academic libraries.--Kay Bowes, Wilmington Inst. Lib., DE Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A jewel of a memoir.

Kirkus Reviews