In "Cold Feet," Francesca Melandri Exposes a Suppressed Part of Italian History: The Colonial Expedition to Ukraine

Italian novelist Francesca Melandri confronts a suppressed chapter of Italian history in her latest work, "Cold Feet." The book is a deeply personal exploration triggered by the ongoing war in Ukraine, prompting Melandri to address her late father, who fought on Ukrainian soil during World War II.

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Here they are, Dad, the women you always told us about.

Melandri's father, a former officer, had recounted his wartime experiences to his family, painting a picture of war with a human face. He spoke of Ukrainian women who sustained him with bread and milk and described how Italian soldiers used wolf cries to intimidate Soviet troops. He also recounted how his unit found felt boots, "valenki," saving their feet from frostbite.

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to all the Irynas

However, "Cold Feet" goes beyond personal recollection. Melandri is determined to shed light on the "shadow zones" of her father's life and to uncompromisingly deconstruct the silences and falsehoods embedded in narratives of both past and present conflicts. The novel is dedicated "to all the Irynas," honoring the courage and dignity of Ukrainian women, a quality Melandri sees reflected in both her father's stories and the current war.

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The women nourished him with bread and milk. Cunningly, the Italian soldiers terrified the Soviet troops massed on the opposite bank of the "great loop of the Don" by imitating the cry of the wolf at night.