War wounds sustained in Italy inspire the great American novel
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| Hemingway in the uniform he wore while serving in Italy |
An 18-year-old American Red Cross driver named Ernest
Hemingway was severely wounded by shrapnel from an Austrian mortar shell on
this day in 1918 at Fossalta di Piave in the Veneto.
Hemingway was taken to a field hospital in Treviso, from
where he was transferred by train to a hospital in Milan. While in the hospital
and recovering after two operations, he fell in love with his nurse,
26-year-old Agnes von Kurowsky.
His experiences of being wounded in Italy and falling in
love later inspired him to write the novel, A Farewell to Arms.
On leaving school Hemingway had worked briefly as a reporter
for The Kansas City Star before leaving for the Italian front in World War One
to enlist as an ambulance driver.
While stationed at Fossalta di Piave he was bringing
chocolates and cigarettes to the men on the front line when he was seriously
injured by mortar fire. Despite his own wounds, Hemingway assisted some Italian
soldiers to safety, for which he later received the Italian Silver Medal of
Bravery.
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| Hemingway recuperating in hospital in Milan |
After his release from hospital, he returned to the United
States in January 1919. He and Agnes had agreed to get married in America, but
two months later she wrote to say she had become engaged to an Italian army
officer.
A Farewell to Arms, which was published in 1929, is a
first-person account told by an American, Frederic Henry, who was serving as a
lieutenant in the ambulance corps of the Italian Army. The novel focuses on a
love affair between Henry and a woman he meets, Catherine Barkley, which is set
against the backdrop of the First World War, with its cynical soldiers, combat
and the displacement of populations.
A Farewell to Arms was Hemingway’s first best seller and is
regarded as the finest American novel to depict World War One.
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| The Monument to Peace in Fosslalta, where the memorial to Hemingway can be found |
Travel tip:
Fossalta di Piave, where Hemingway was injured during the
First World War, is a small town situated 64 km (38 miles) north of Venice, which
is famous for the wine it produces. There is a memorial to Hemingway
overlooking the river Piave.
Travel tip:
Treviso, where Hemingway was taken to hospital after he was
wounded, is an historic, walled city in the Veneto region, with picturesque
canals and water wheels. It is the headquarters of the clothing firm, Benetton,
and is famous for producing Prosecco wine and the vegetable, radicchio.
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