When they say: a writer’s biography is his books, they usually mean not the real circumstances of the writer’s life, but the spiritual content contained in his work. But it also happens: the writer seems to be writing only about himself, without deviating from what he actually experienced, and yet these facts of his biography, conveyed accurately and in detail, transferred to the pages of a literary work, acquire special moral and aesthetic significance and become the most important component of the artistic work. context. This is exactly what Mario Rigoni Stern writes. At a time when neo-fascism is raising its head in Italy, and the ominous shadow of a new world massacre hangs over the whole world, Mario Rigoni Stern's memoirs about his military past sound like a timely warning. A warning about the disasters and trials that war brings. And as a reminder - about the price people paid in order not to forget how to distinguish between friends and enemies, to enjoy peace, work, nature - in order to remain human.