Although celebrated by Hemingway in A Farewell to Arms, the Italian front in the First World War has been relatively neglected in literature. And yet some of the fiercest fighting of the war took place in the Alps between the Italian army and the forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Over 500,000 Italians were killed or wounded in the war, yet this is the only autobiographical novel of note to have emerged. Although it has been largely forgotten, Sardinian Brigade is a masterpiece of war literature, written with classic, even sparse, simplicity. Recounting the daily life of the soldiers at the front, the cumulative picture is unforgettable. An intelligent, powerfully moving book on a great and tragic theme. Emilio Lussu was a highly decorated officer in the Sardinian Sassari brigade, the most famous infantry of the Italian army. After the war, he became a leader of the Italian resistance to Mussolini and a socialist senator in Italy's postwar parliament.

Although celebrated by Hemingway in "A Farewell to Arms", the Italian front in the World War I has been relatively neglected in literature. This is a piece of war writing written with sparse simplicity. It recounts the daily life of the soldiers at the front producing a cumulative picture.