CONTRO Ugo Ciappina’s story robber and martyr

Some American and South-african universities has discovered, with my great surprise, one of my book which was published forty years ago in Milan, that is in 1968. Not only, but they have also succeeded, I don’t know how, in coming in possession of one copy, they have reprinted it and, even though it is in Italian, they have placed it at students’ disposal in their libraries and also in the two biggest libraries in America, the civic one in New York and that of American Congress in Washington. The universities which have discovered my book and have reprinted it are: - Brown University of Providence (Rode Island) - Princeton University of Princeton, N.J. (New Jersey) - University of South Africa (UNISA) of Pretoria At the same time, the University of Michigan has discovered another book, not mine, but which mentioned me and published in Milan back in 1982. This book, whose title is “Nel nome di Matteotti”, talked about the Italian Resistance and especially about Brigate Matteotti, and I was mentioned as one of vice-commandants. Also this book was reprinted and placed at students’ disposal in the university’s library. The fact that in America attention is paid to Italian books which aren’t in English doesn’t surprise me as from my Website my books are downloaded in America and in Italy in equal quantity. My reflections is that America want to gain the primacy in the divulgation of culture all over the world, which in the past was primacy of Europe and, especially of France. But, in my modest opinion, Europe has sat and America has started to gallop overcoming the obstacles of time and language. It remains to decipher the cultural interest that has lead to the discovery of these books but especially how they have succeeded in getting their material availability. A possible explanation could be reserved to the book about Brigate Matteotti. The University of Michigan was evidently interested in the Italian Resistance and in the world catalogue it has found different books among with that about “Matteotti”. It’s obscure how they found my book also gaining the availability, besides the evident appreciation received after almost half of a century for the fact that it has been reprinted and made available in libraries. At this point, I must specify that the book narrates a real but extraordinary story and that the history of the book is also extraordinary. If a film had to be made, it would tell two stories at the same time, the story of the book and the story narrated by the book. It is worth reminding briefly the vicissitudes of this book. The title of my book is “Contro” and, in origin, the manuscript had a subtitle: “Ugo Ciappina’s history, robber and martyr”. The book narrates the story of the robbery in via Osoppo which, at that time, was counted among the biggest robberies of the century. The event occurred at the beginning of 1958. The authors were immediately identified and arrested. The process took place in the autumn of the same year. I was drawn as juryman. This is the way how I learnt about the event and, when the process ended, I decided to narrate it. But the President of Trial, whose name was Gustavo, suspecting my intentions, opposed it immediately. In front of the manuscript he pretended to read and correct it. He was seriously worried. According to me he was even frightened. The fact that the author or, as they said, the “brain” of robbery (that is Ugo Ciappina) used the Milanese “Mala” (obviously without declaring it) to carry out his personal revolt and, at that time, political revenge against the catholic-communist regime which dominated Italy after 18 April 1948. Ciappina was in Resitance, he was tortured in San Vittore by Germans, he lost his job because, as a member of national commission as Socialist of the Resistance, he was disliked by maters, Catholics and communists. Being on the rocks he fell a prey to a false revolutionary who was an infiltrator, first on behalf of Germans and then of Catholics.communists of regime. When he discovered the deceit, he noticed that the regime brought the infiltrator to safety abroad and at the same time it kept on at him. In this way Ciappina found himself alone in the “Mala” to plan his revolt and his revenge. In practice he planned assault to sky. At this point I need to specify the situation of the “Mala”. By tradition, it had its code which it respected, a pact, always existed, of a certain tolerance between the “Mala” and police forces. But there were some limits and when they were overcome, the State intervened hard. The type of robbery and the intentions of his author largely overcame these limits and this would have menaced the existence itself of the “Mala”. The important person of the “Mala”, called the “professor”, had guessed Ciappina’s intentions and he fought till pang in order to avoid the robbery. He thought that it as the end of everything. When he understood that everything was useless, he found a way to be arrested and he hanged himself in prison. So even President Gustavo didn’t want that Ciappina’s motivations appeared in the book. The robbery had to be only robbery and there hadn’t to be any political motivation. Regime press was at Public Prosecutor’s beck and call and Ciappina’s evidence was completely ignored. President Gustavo was really frightened, his career was implied and he wanted at all costs to stop the appearance of this truth in a book. He continually obsessed me to read and correct my manuscript. The historical background, from which the event originated, was completely deleted, names had to be invented and the event had to be declared as imaginary. Ugo Ciappina became Guido Festa, via Osoppo became via dei Pardi and the same happened for all the characters. This incessant wavering lasts about 10 years. At the same time the fear, clearly declared, got publishers out of the way. Till when, in 1968, an unexpected event happened. A dishonest publisher who, as many others, was in possess of my manuscript, had translated it and adapted it to theatrical performance, obviously without political implications. When I learnt about this, I called a lawyer who stopped this matter and who, at the same time, in order to avoid further possible complications, indicated me to a little brave publisher who published my book. Obviously President Gustavo worried and after some months, two plainclothes police officers honoured me with a visit. Initially, they were agitated but when I reassured them that without advertising and with little organisation I had reached more or less the 14 Manzoni’s readers, they became quiet and wanted to reassure, with my telephone, the President who evidently was waiting anxiously. In this way the adventure of this book ended. In this way till now. Because it still continues, after forty years, in America and South-Africa. At this point, I would like that libraries add to the reprinted book this blog and the historical background I put online (Communication n.10) some years ago and that has been already downloaded in the dozen of thousand of copies all over the world. Also because at the beginning the historical background was integral part of my manuscript.

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