Nothing, and So Be It (Italian: Niente e così sia) is a first-hand account book by Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci about a year as a war correspondent in Saigon, Vietnam, between 1967 and 1968. It was first published in Italian in 1969. Fallaci based the book on the testimony of several American soldiers who participated in the Mỹ Lai massacre and the reports of some of the survivors. She received the Bancarella Prize (1970) for the book.

Nothing, and So Be It
Nothing and amen
Front cover page of the book.
AuthorOriana Fallaci
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherMichael Joseph
Publication date
1969
Pages322
ISBN978-0718109509

Author edit

Oriana Fallaci was an Italian journalist and author. A partisan during World War II, she had a long and successful journalistic career. Fallaci became famous worldwide for her coverage of war and revolution, and her "long, aggressive and revealing interviews" with many world leaders during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.[1] Her book Interview with History contains interviews with Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Yasser Arafat, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Willy Brandt, Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and Henry Kissinger, South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, and North Vietnamese General Võ Nguyên Giáp during the Vietnam War. The interview with Kissinger was published in Playboy.[2]

Content edit

The book in diary format is the story of one year of the author's life as a war correspondent for L'Europeo in Saigon, Vietnam, between 1967 and 1968 with the photographer Gianfranco Moroldo. This book was created as reflection on her little sister's question, "What is life?". Fallaci based the book on interviews with some protagonists of the war, soldiers of the National Liberation Front, and soldiers of the United States Army soldiers; reports of two diaries of two North Vietnamese soldiers, one unknown and the other Le Vanh Minh, both dead. The book begins with the testimony of some American soldiers who participated in the Mỹ Lai massacre and the testimony of some of the survivors.[3]

Awards edit

In 1970, Fallaci was awarded the Bancarella Prize for Niente e così sia.[4]

Translation edit

In 1972, the book was translated into English and published by Michael Joseph under the name Nothing and amen,[5] and by Doubleday under the name Nothing, and So Be It.[6]

The book was translated into Persian by Lili Golestan and published by Amir Kabir Publishers.[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Ian Fisher, "Oriana Fallaci, Incisive Italian Journalist, Is Dead at 77," The New York Times, 16 September 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  2. ^ Cristina De Stefano, The Interview that Became Henry Kissinger's "Most Disastrous Decision": How Oriana Fallaci Became the Most Feared Political Interviewer in the World, lithub.com. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  3. ^ Malizia, Antonella (2 September 2020). "Oriana Fallaci: Nothing, and so be it".
  4. ^ "Fallaci, Oriana 1930-". Encyclopedia.com.
  5. ^ Fallaci, Oriana (1972). Nothing and Amen. Joseph. ISBN 9780718109509.
  6. ^ Fallaci, Orlana (1972). Nothing, and So Be It. Doubleday & Co.
  7. ^ "زندگی جنگ و دیگر هیچ". Amir Kabir Publishers.