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The Banality Of Goodness: The Story of Giorgio Perlasca (KESS LIVES JUST & VI)

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Giorgio Perlasca's story should have been told many years ago. To date, not counting translations, only two books have been published about this brave Italian salesman who was stuck in Budapest after the country was occupied by Germany on March 19, 1944. -- Perlasca had earned the appreciation of Franco's government for fighting on the fascists' side during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, but he later broke with Italian fascism. As a consequence, the Spanish diplomatic mission retroactively awarded Perlasca Spanish citizenship in 1944 and that rendered his existence in Budapest somewhat secure. He began to work with the Spanish mission that provided "safe houses" and documents for Jews during the autumn of 1944. After the Hungarian fascist party, the Arrowcross, overthrew the weak, but official Hungarian government on Oct. 15, 1944, Szalasi, the Hungarian 'Fuehrer," demanded diplomatic recognition from Spain. Rather than flatly refuse, after some delays, the Spanish mission returned home, leaving Perlasca in charge of the Spanish safe houses and thousands of Jews crowded in those. -- This book presents the historical background, the diary of Giorgio Perlasca in which he described his eight months of personal difficulties and almost entirely successful efforts to save the residents of the Spanish houses. -- It is particularly interesting how the representatives of the neutral countries, especially Wallenberg (Sweden), Lutz (Switzerland) and Rotta (Vatican) coordinated their efforts to save persecuted Jews mostly from the Hungarian Arrowcross-linked agents of the government. The diary reflects that the majority of the attrocities were committed not by the German occupiers, but by Hungarians. -- The book also presents ample documentation, including letters from survivors in the Spanish houses, validating Perlasca's diary. -- The story of Perlasca's courageous work and incredible gall ("chutzpah") in dealing with the Hungarian and German officials was largely unknown for 40 years. A thin book, "Az Olasz Wallenberg" ("The Italian Wallenberg") was published by Laszlo Elek in Hungarian, in 1989, that was presumably the first time Perlasca's diary reached the public anywhere, albeit in translation. The appearance of the English translation of Deaglio's widely read book in Italian is a welcome event for anyone interested in rescue efforts and the final phase of the Holocaust in Hungary.

I was first attracted to this book when I read an article by its translator in Commonweal magazine. The article, "A Fascist who saved Jews" seemed unbelievable to me. However, Banality of Goodness captures perfectly the brilliance of Giorgio Perlasca, an individual in a war full of labels and party-loyalties. Being Italian while posing as Spanish to save Jews in Budapest, Perlasca's story demonstrates the true universality of goodness that confuses and overrides governmental or even religious allegiances. This book focuses on personal virtue and even asks the question, "What would you have done?" This is a Holocaust story like no other. The scenario is not typical, and the perspective is not tragic, but inspirational. Of course, it speaks of the gruesomeness of genocide, but moreso, it explains creative strategies, amazing guts, and a modest hero. America is lucky to finally have a publication to teach us about this story of virtue.

There is nothing to suggest that Georgio Perlasca would be a hero. He was simply a person who refused to let the evil around him to triumph. Perlasca is an example to all of us who pretend that the suffering of others is none of our business or that we are to powerless to change the world. Inspiring as well as thought provoking.

I'm Italian but I never knew anything'bout Giorgio Perlasca and his story. I was amazed in realising that a non politician but a simple man was able to help so much the Jews, while many powerful people and politicians not even tried. Great book. Great person. He deserved to be more famous than he acrtually have been

Il testo di Deaglio, scritto assai bene perchè agile e di piacevole lettura senza essere affatto romanzato, ha una pluralità di pregi, dei quali è naturalmente in parte debitore alla straordinaria vicenda che racconta ed allo spessore morale del protagonista: dal punto di vista storico ricostruisce l'impegno di un italiano (per di più sinceramente fascista) che - come altri, ma non tanti come ci piacerebbe pensare - ha concretamente agito per aiutare e salvare un gran numero di ebrei (nel caso di specie, ungheresi); si tratta di una vicenda stranamente poco conosciuta proprio in Italia, dove spesso ci si compiace di minimizzare l'antisemitismo degli anni '30 e '40, ma - non a caso - si esita ad indicare con precisione cosa è riuscito a fare chi, come Perlasca, ha messo la propria vita e la propria intelligenza al servizio della difesa degli ebrei, non limitandosi alla contemplazione dei propri pacifici sentimenti, per poi lasciare che la Storia li offendesse impunemente. Questa considerazione ci sposta sull'altro pregio del libro, che è quello di un semplice ma fondamentale insegnamento: è nel momento in cui la scelta morale ha senso che bisogna compierla, accettandone i rischi. Perlasca, lo racconta lui stesso in un breve dialogo con Deaglio risalente a poco prima della sua morte e riportato nel libro, non nutriva particolari sentimenti a favore degli ebrei nè era mai stato una persona che ponesse i principi al di sopra della vita: era nella vita, che solo così rimaneva la sua vita, che non intendeva avallare l'orribile strage, ed era nella vita che ha creato lo spazio per operare con semplicità (ma con grandissimo coraggio) contro lo sterminio, sfruttando alcune circostanze favorevoli (i pregressi rapporti commerciali con la Spagna, ad es., e la sua conoscenza dello spagnolo assieme alla fuga dell'ambasciatore iberico da Budapest) e una personale capacità di iniziativa che verosimilmente ne avrebbero fatto un uomo capace e determinato in qualunque campo. Qui è Rodi è qui devi saltare! venne detto all'atleta che si vantava di saper compiere balzi prodigiosi, ma solo quando era nell'isoletta. Qui è la croce del presente, commentava Hegel la storiella; questa croce Perlasca sembra essersela laicamente addossata senza alcuna remora e senza particolari travagli intellettuali. "Cosa avrebbe fatto lei al mio posto?", chiede una volta a Deaglio, quasi a dimenticare che la risposta è nei milioni di tedeschi, italiani, polacchi, ungheresi ecc., che in verità non hanno fatto proprio nulla e hanno lasciato che il genocidio si compisse. Questa semplicità di Perlasca - il non poter fare altrimenti che così, per poter continuare a vivere con se stessi - è giustamente sottolineata da Deaglio nel titolo del libro che ovviamente risponde a quello con cui Hannah Harendt ha reso memorabile il proprio resoconto del processo ad Eichmann. In quel processo tutti coloro che venivano chiamati a rispondere dei propri comportamenti ne sottolineavano, appunto, la "banalità", quasi che la macchina dello sterminio sarebbe potuta funzionare senza tanti gesti e adesioni di per sè non straordinari. Deaglio accetta la "sfida" dei testimoni/complici del processo Eichmann, per mostrare con efficacia che agire per il bene anzichè per il male non necessariamente avrebbe richiesto comportamenti eccezionali. Ma in cuor nostro sappiamo che di uomini come Perlasca non ce ne sono mai stati molti, e gli siamo grati della speranza di saper essere, se fosse necessario, "banali" come lui.

(...) why much well agile and of pleasant reading without at all
romanzato, pluralità of pregi has one, of which he is naturally in part debtor to the extraordinary
vicissitude that it tells and the moral thickness of the protagonist: from the historical point of view it reconstructs the engagement of an
Italian (for more sincerely fascist) that - like others, but many as it would appeal to to think to us - do not have concretely
churn in order to help and to save a great number of Hebrew (in the
species case, Hungarians); draft of one strangely little known vicissitude just in Italy, where often it is felt sorry to us to diminish the anti-semitism of
years ' 30 and ' 40, but - not to case - it is hesitated to indicate with precision what is
successful to make who, like Perlasca, it has put the own life and own intelligence to the service of the

defense of the Hebrew, not limiting to the contemplation of the own pacific feelings, in order then to leave that the History offended them impunemente. This consideration moves to us on the other pregio of the book, that it is that one of a simple but fundamental instruction: it is in the moment in which the moral choice it has sense that must
complete it, accepting of the risks. Perlasca, it in a short dialogue with going back before its dead women and
brought back Deaglio tells little same in the book, it did not nourish particular feelings to favor of the Hebrew neither
never had been a person who placed the principles to of over of the
life: it was in the life, that therefore it only remained its life, that it did not mean to guarantee the orribile massacre, and it was in the life that has created the space in order to operate
with semplicità (but with greatest courage) against the
extermination, taking advantage of some favorable circumstances (the pregressi
relationships trade them with Spain, to es., and its acquaintance of the Spanish together to the escape of the
Iberian ambassador from Budapest) and one personal ability to
initiative that verosimilmente of it would have made an able and
determined man in any field. Here it is Rodi is here you must jump! it came said the athlete that it was boasted to know to complete
prodigiosi leaps, but only when it was in the isoletta. Here it is the cross of the present, Hegel commented the storiella; this Perlasca cross seems is lay leaned it without some impediment and
particular intellectual sufferings. "What would have made she my place?", it asks Deaglio once, nearly to forget that the answer is in the million Germans, Italians, Poles, Hungarians etc, that in truth they have not made just null and they have left that the
genocidio compisse. This semplicità of Perlasca - not to be able to make otherwise that
therefore, for being able to continue living with if same - just it of the book
is emphasized from Deaglio in the title that obviously answers to that
one with which Hannah Harendt it has rendered just the report of the
process to Eichmann memorable. In that process all those who came call to you to answer of the own
behaviors emphasized some, exactly, the "triviality", nearly that the machine of the extermination could work without many
gestures and adhesions of for himself not extraordinary. Deaglio chip ax the "challenge" of the witnessesaccomplices of the Eichmann process, in order to show with effectiveness that to act for the good anzichè
for the evil not necessarily would have demanded exceptional
behaviors. But in cuor ours we know that of men as Perlasca ce never has not been
many, and it we are grates of the hope to know to be, if it were necessary, "banal" like he.