Fatuzzo Books Blog

Giacomo Fatuzzo, then a Lieutenant in the Italian Army, wrote his novel “Two Souls in the Sun” in the late 1920s while he was posted at a remote fort in the African desert in the province of Tripolitania—an Italian possession soon to become part of the Italian colony of Libya. Giacomo called his book a novel and a “colonial romance,” but it is more than those words indicate. It is a story based on some of his actual experiences in the African desert. And in it he intentionally provides a contrast to the typical Italian colonial literature and attitudes of the time.

But the world of “Two Souls in the Sun” is very different from the fast-paced, interconnected one of today; and Giacomo’s story is heavily influenced by the culture and turmoil of that distant past. Therefore, this small window into that past is offered to introduce a place and time that no longer exist.

A LOOK AT EUROPEAN COLONIALISM AND THE “SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA”

The decade of the 1890s was a period of rapid colonization of the African continent by Europeans. By 1900, in what became known as the “Scramble for Africa,” much of Africa had been colonized by the European powers of Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. Following the lead of these countries, Italy also had established a presence in Africa, colonizing first Eritrea and later what would become Italian Somaliland.

The main driving forces for this massive European acquisition of territories were commercial interests created by the demand for raw materials and new markets. However the driving force for Italian colonialism differed. It was motivated largely by the desire to enhance the glory and overall international prestige of Italy, rather than by the economic benefits that could be gained from colonies.

Whatever the actual reasons were, Europeans often justified their expansion of colonialism in Africa by claiming that they were bringing civilization to a continent which was backward, undeveloped, and barbaric. In general, Europeans of this time believed they possessed cultural and racial superiority over African societies that were primitive and natives who were childlike savages. The Africans and Africa described in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (published in 1899) are stereotypes of natives and native societies that reinforced these European attitudes of superiority.

However it also was common for European literature of the early 1900s to romanticize colonialism in Africa. The mostly Arabic community of northern Africa was portrayed as sensual, erotic, and cruel; but also weak. And popular novels represented Africa as a place of escape from the mundane and sometimes unpleasant reality of one’s native country. These stories created the perception of Africa as a land of adventure, a territory free from societal constrictions, and a place where man could find and be his true self.

But reality differed. The European “conquerors” were still vying for control and increased territory and power. Fighting with the natives was ongoing and often deadly, resulting in growing prejudice and racism. There wasn’t much that one could consider romantic.

Italy was no different than the rest of Europe with respect to prejudice and racism stemming from colonialism. The Italians’ new colonies in Africa had forced them for the first time to confront the existence of non-Europeans and non-whites within the Italian Empire. This led to Italians thinking of themselves as superior to the colonized African natives and Arabs and essentially establishing a racial hierarchy in which they, the Italians, (and other white Europeans) were at the top. Arabs and North Africans were somewhere in the middle, and black Africans were at the bottom. These views were commonly held by Italian colonists and soldiers in Africa, as well as Italian citizens at home, and they persisted for many years.

This is the history and the culture that surrounded Giacomo as he arrived in Italian Libya in 1924. And this is the setting for his novel “Two Soul in the Sun.”

“Two Souls in the Sun – A Twisted Love Story” is available for purchase from amazon: amzn.to/2sKfE6t

For more information about “Two Souls in the Sun” and other books published by Fatuzzo Books, visit our Web site: fatuzzobooks.com. 

MY FATHER’S NOVEL – A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, by Ennio Fatuzzo

An incredible story. An Italian book, “buried” in the North-African sands of time and war for decades, that I have been able to bring back to life for English speaking readers. It is my father’s novel – a saga of sweeping landscapes, an exotic young girl, and a tormented mind – and it is beautiful literature.

LOST AND FOUND

“Two Souls in the Sun” (Due anime nel sole}, written by my father (Giacomo Fatuzzo), was published in 1929, in Italian, in Italy’s colony of Libya. And then it was forgotten. The publisher ceased to exist long ago, my father is dead, and I only had vague memories of the book’s existence. But my daughter, Laura Fatuzzo, found a copy, covered with dust, buried among old documents belonging to my mother. Laura read it and was captivated by the emotional saga and her grandfather’s exquisite descriptions. She challenged me read it, and I was equally fascinated. The feelings, the torment, the mixture of dreams, dark desires, and reality – compelling and unlike the father I thought I knew, So, I translated my father’s timeless story of a lonely soldier into English; and with the editing assistance of my wife Carol, we published it, making it accessible to today’s serious readers. “Two Souls in the Sun” is now available in English in paperback and Kindle formats from amazon.com.

MY FATHER

My father, born in Sicily in 1900, was an Italian career army officer. From what I can reconstruct, as a young officer he spent almost 10 years (from the early-to-mid 1920s to the early 1930s) on assignment in the wild African desert of Italy’s colony of Libya. He was in command of a group of local troops who were responsible for guarding the borders of the Italian territory. He could scarcely communicate with his men, and most of the time he had no colleagues with whom to talk. His only personal interactions were his occasional visits to young Arab girls in a nearby brothel. Alone in a foreign land, isolated by language and culture from those around him, he wrote a story in which he posed daunting questions for himself and his readers: How well do we really know ourselves? Is almost anyone capable of murder? Is madness always looming? My father’s work explores these questions as well as the effects of prolonged silence and solitude on the human soul, including the ultimate toll isolation can take on the human mind. Clearly, in his novel, he was expressing many of his own thoughts and feelings.

A NOVEL OR A MEMOIR OR SOMETHING IN BETWEEN

“Two Souls in the Sun” is the story of a lonely, young, Italian army officer who wanders through the vast dessert that was the Libya of almost 100 years ago – as my father did. It unveils unfamiliar and desolate landscapes of breathtaking beauty and power, and it describes the strange yet enticing people and customs that the young officer encounters. Day by day, the book reveals a mind that wanders farther and farther from what it has known and begins to generate chaotic thoughts that are a mixture of dreams, dark desires, and reality. A second, more brutal “self” emerges – someone wild, angry, and very different from the lonely Italian officer. As his second “self” becomes stronger, the young officer becomes obsessed with one specific prostitute. But is she real? His mind mixes his hallucinations with his memories; and interwoven with all of this is his enchantment with the wildness and power of the desert itself. It is unclear where reality becomes delusion as the saga winds through the vast desert of Northern Africa and the young officer descends into madness.

Ultimately the reader faces a fundamental question: Who are the two souls in the sun – the officer and his prostitute or the two selves of the officer? And my thoughts always return to other questions: Is this just a story or is it partly a chronicle of my father’s actual experiences? What really happened, and what was imagined? Is this totally a novel or is it partially or even mostly a memoir? There is no way to know the answers to these questions, even for me, the author’s own son. Therefore, it is up to the reader to decide. What is clear is that my father, as a young officer, turned his lonely time in a foreign desert into a fascinating exploration of the psychology of human nature and the effects of solitude. His novel is truly a literary journey into the depths of one’s soul.

For more information about “Two Souls in the Sun” and all of the other books published by Fatuzzo Books, visit the Web site fatuzzobooks.com.

JUST RELEASED: A NEW NOVEL FROM FATUZZO BOOKS

In our newest published book, Two Souls in the Sun: A Twisted Love Story, the author, Giacomo Fatuzzo, explores obsessive love and the effect of isolation on the mind. This novel is a beautifully described journey in a strange and foreign land in a forgotten time.

Written by Giacomo Fatuzzo almost 100 years ago, this is the story of a lonely young soldier, alone in a vast desert, and his love for a young, beautiful and exotic woman, Keria. But as their love turns sour, the young soldier descends into the depths of madness and obsession.

This book is more than a tragic love story. It is about the toll isolation takes on the human mind and spirit and the dark and deadly twists of an obsessive romance gone wrong. The saga is exquisitely presented by Giacomo, but he leaves it up to the audience to decide where the line exists between reality, fantasy and horror. And he forces the reader to grapple with the question, “Where is the line between love and hate?”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Two Souls in the Sun: A Twisted Love Story by Giacomo Fatuzzo.

“Two Souls in the Sun” is a novel drawn from the experiences of Giacomo Fatuzzo, while he was a young officer stationed at a military post in Italy’s colony of Libya in the 1920s. It was originally published in Italian, in Libya, in 1929 with the title Due anime nel sole. But then it was lost in the sands of war and time for decades.

An old copy of this soul wrenching work of art was recently found by Giacomo’s granddaughter, and now has been translated into English by Giacomo’s only son, Ennio Fatuzzo. This newly published translation gives readers the opportunity to be transported to the wild and enticing Libyan dessert of the past. But it also challenges readers to look at the young soldier through modern eyes and consider the price paid by both the mind and body during isolation from one’s family and culture – an issue very relevant in today’s uncertain world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Giacomo Fatuzzo was born in Vittoria, Sicily in 1900. After graduating from the Italian Military Academy of Modena, he joined the Italian Army and became a career military officer. His long and distinguished military career culminated with his appointment as General of the Italian Army Corp. As an author, General Fatuzzo wrote and published a number of articles and books, including his best-selling memoir “Storia della <Julia> nella Campagna di Grecia.” This book was recently translated into English and published by Fatuzzo Books with the title “The Death of the Julia Division (available from amazon.com). General Fatuzzo died in Albisola Marina, Italy in 1975.

Giacomo’s only son, Dr. Ennio Fatuzzo, has revived Giacomo’s early novel in order to share with today’s readers this timeless quest to understand love, identity, and the soul itself.

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“Two Souls in the Sun: A Twisted Love Story”

MORE INFORMATION
Two Souls in the Sun is available in both paperback and Kindle formats from amazon.com.

For additional information about this novel, Giacomo’s memoir, and books and articles by Carol L. and Ennio Fatuzzo, visit their authors’ Web site: fatuzzobooks.com.