Corpul uman

Corpul uman follows young troops at a remote post. It lies in the Gulistan valley in Afghanistan. An Italian army brigade guards their base in the dry mountains. The men face death, anger, grief and love not returned. At times, they feel joy free from care. Some die. Others leave with lives they can hardly recognise. War ends their youth and changes how they see themselves.

Paolo Giordano’s war novel follows a group, not one hero. It asks how brave acts differ from being a hero. Harsh training tests the body, as does forced self-control. The troops seek a purpose beyond their own lives. The hard times they share form close bonds. They come to care for each other’s bodies, too.

Giordano spent time with Italian troops while reporting in Afghanistan. He shared life in their barracks, then used it in fiction. He was born in Turin in 1982. He studied theoretical physics, which uses theories to explain the physical world. He earned a doctorate in particle physics in 2010. He also studied ways to tell stories at Scuola Holden in 2006–2007. He has written short stories for newspapers, journals and collections.

The novel first came out in 2012. Translations took it to more than thirty countries. Vlad Russo translated this edition. It forms part of the Raftul Denisei series.