Forget Palermo

Author: Edmund Charles Tarde
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-03-01
Features: Fiction was the most active genre between the two World Wars, where tradition and innovation mutually promoted each other, presenting a magnificent landscape of diversity within unity and order amidst chaos. During this period, veteran writers like André Gide and Roman Rolland remained vigorous, middle-aged writers such as Louis Aragon, Paul Claudel, and Georges Bernanos reached maturity, and young writers like André Malraux, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and Jean Giono emerged. Palermo is an ancient city on the island of Sicily in Italy. The novel is set against the backdrop of World War II and weaves together stories from Palermo and New York, following the fates of different characters living in these two places, particularly the people of Palermo. The D Baron is a hereditary nobleman of Palermo Solanto, a spiritual leader, and his family has long upheld the ideals of freedom and democracy, commanding great respect in the local community. The people of the Bonajuto family are kind-hearted, but faced with injustice, they are forced to leave their homeland one by one. Alfio Bonajuto is the D Baron's shepherd. His house is destroyed by the sea, and without support from the mayor or the Baron, he cannot rebuild his home, so he is forced to illegally migrate to the United States in resentment. Many years later, the D Baron is persecuted for his anti-war stance and also goes to the United States. The D Baron and Alfio represent the ancient spirit of Palermo—simple, kind, proud, and unyielding.