The Author

As portrayed in the editor's introduction, the Marchesa Iris Origo was the daughter of an American who had lived a short portion of her life in the United States but was raised in Europe. This, the editor comments, was the result of her father's desire that she live in a place "where she does not belong" in order to become more worldly and free from nationalistic patriotism, a desire fulfilled after her father's death when Iris was young and her mother moved the family to Italy. There, Iris grew to maturity and eventually married an Italian aristocrat, working with him to revolutionize the agricultural industries in the community where they eventually settled, the Val d'Orcia. During World War II, the Marchesa found herself torn between two loyalties, to her home country and culture and her adopted country and culture. Ultimately, though, the Marchesa devoted her time and...