Fri 22 Jun 2007
2007 being the bicentenary of the birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi, I’ve been reading My Life, an abridged edition of his memoirs published in English by Hesperus Press.
None of the wounded complained; the only cry that could be heard from those under the surgeon’s knife was “long live Italy!”. When a people reaches this point, it is time for the Pope with his tiara, the foreign bullies and the domestic tyrants to pack their bags and leave.
My Life covers the years between 1848 and 1867 - essentially, the period during which Garibaldi was engaged in the battle for Italian unification. What’s missing are the early years of his adventures in South America. However, Hesperus like to make their books short and to the point and the chances are that, if you’re coming to Garibaldi, you’re coming for the Risorgimento.
The roots of My Life are in the journals that he kept at the time, allowing us to see (despite his later editing) the emotional rollercoaster of a man conducting a difficult war. For example there is his reaction when, during the retreat from Rome, his men begin to desert:
When I compared the fortitude and self-denial of the men I had known in South America with the timidity and effeminacy of my fellow-Italians, I was ashamed I belonged to such degenerate descendents of a once great people, town-dwellers incapable of fighting a campaign for a month if they had to do without their customary three meals a day.
and a few pages later, after he is helped in his escape by friends in San Dalmazio:
How proud I was to have been born in Italy, in this land of the dead, among people who - or so our neighbours say - have lost the ability to fight!
My Life is an unusual read, high on action but not always on drama; many of the battles are inconclusive and fought against vaguely defined and ever-changing foes. (It seems a very Italian sort of a war.) Despite the narrative being driven by Garibaldi’s dream of the liberation of Rome, the book ends at a point where this has not yet taken place. It’s also light on explanation of the historical background, although I would argue that this is a good thing - the editors have rightly expected us to consult other sources for a balanced historical account, and have therefore resisted the temptation to pepper the text with countless footnotes. (Penguin do this a lot - some of their books are so frequently and unnecessarily footnoted, requiring the reader to go back and forth in the text, that it gives the same effect as having a toddler constantly prod you in the side with one greasy finger while you’re trying to read.)
So, while this book isn’t (and isn’t meant to be) a full history of the Risorgimento, it’s a fascinating artifact both of the period and of Garibaldi himelf.
Finally, aside from the book, you can join in the celebrations of the Garibaldi bicentenary by posting a letter using the Garibaldi commemorative stamp, pocketing the Garibaldi commemorative coin, or attending one of the many exhibitions and “solemn commemorations” that will be taking place around Rome, around Italy and around the world (although you’ve already missed the commemorative regatta, 1000 Sails for Garibaldi). More details of these goings-on can be found at www.garibaldi200.it.
Incidentally, regarding that commemorative coin: The €2 coin is being issued this year by the Republic of San Marino.
It seems odd that the one part of the Italian peninsula to resist unification (other than the Vatican, obviously) should be commemorating the unifier, but it turns out that there’s a history between them: the republic sheltered Garibaldi in 1849, when he was on the run from the Austrian army, and in return he used his influence to help San Marino retain its independence. And neatly bringing this digression back to the topic at the start of this post, the image used on the coin is the same one that Hesperus used for the author photograph on the cover of My Life.
