The Hickory Stick Bookshop is delighted to welcome author Rod Oneglia who will be here signing copies of his new novel “A Quiet Grief” on Sunday, February 23rd at 2 pm.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In 1938, a young, idealistic propaganda minister in Benito Mussolini’s fascist government (Gianni Orlandini) meets a Venetian girl of patrician family (Gabriella De Luca), also a nurse in the Italian Red Cross.
She is “the most beautiful woman” he has ever seen. He “wears good will upon his heart like a badge of honor”. Enraptured they fall in love and plan to marry. All as Adolf Hitler places his first Nazi SS operatives in Rome to secure his “Pact of Steel” with Mussolini prior to the start of World War II.
As Germans arrive, they are welcomed. But when Hitler’s chief designate (Heinrich Durer) – believing himself of “master race” begins to degrade Italian life and Italians themselves – Gianni begins to question his support for his fascist government which allowed Durer entrance to Italian soil. When Durer ultimately harms members of Gabriella’s family to show support for the Reich, Gianni’s journey to destroy the SS officer and to embarrass Mussolini becomes an obsession.
Working in secrecy while maintaining his position in Mussolini’s regime he forms an astonishing coalition of Italian resistance fighters as diverse as an opera diva, a Jewish banker from Milan, a nurse from Flint Michigan on holiday in Italy at the time and a stage hand from the Teatro Reggio in Torino, and sets a plot to accomplish his goal. The emotional gut needed for this struggle shows the power of stalwart, honest people who want democracy returned to their land. The struggle brings both exhilaration and sorrow.
“A Quiet Grief” is particularly relevant today as world, and US, politics veer ever closer to an “open” acceptance of authoritarian ideology. The work was presented as a work in progress at the Bread Loaf Writers Conference in August 2023 and received positive response.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Oneglia loves Italy. All of it. For its unbelievable history, its art, its architecture, its food and especially for the diversity of its regions settled by people from all corners of the globe who traversed its boundaries over the centuries introducing their own cultures into the mix.
His education includes a BA from Middlebury College, study abroad in Florence, a JD from the University of Connecticut, and a year at the Wharton School. He is a multifaceted writer, having authored three plays, a musical, a humor book(“Twas The Night Before Hannukah”), a collection of Vietnam War poems, and a series of short stories. Additionally, he sculpts bronze works which are part of private collections and a museum.
Oneglia has served on the Board of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Oliver Wolcott Library, the Litchfield Historical Society, the Torrington Historical Society and various other philanthropic institutions and business entities in NW CT.
This event is free and open to the public. If you are unable to attend this event, you may reserve signed copies of “A Quiet Place” by calling The Hickory Stick Bookshop at (860) 868 0525, or shop our website 24/7 at www.hickorystickbookshop.com.
The Hickory Stick Bookshop
2 Green Hill Rd
Washington Depot, CT 06794
https://hickorystickbookshop.com/event/2025-02-23/rod-oneglia-book-signing
