Giovanni Drogo, a young officer, is posted to the Bastiani Fortress, an isolated outpost on the northern frontier overlooking a barren plain. He expects a brief stay, but the fortress, the routines and a vague hope of an invasion by the Tartars draw him in. Dino Buzzati portrays the military life, the gradual ageing of officers, and the sense of time speeding up. As the years pass, Drogo watches the plain for the enemy that never arrives, and when an army finally appears, he is sick and old.
Readers who like philosophical, allegorical fiction about ambition and lost time will find a calm, eerie book. It stays with you as a warning about postponing life.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1940
- Language
- EN
