Kobarid 1917: Narration of a Battle

Alessandro Barbero is an Italian historian and writer from Turin. His main fields of interest are medieval history, military history, and the broader Mediterranean region. He has received numerous prestigious literary awards, including the Strega Prize, and is a significant cultural figure, considered a public intellectual and scholar. He also appears in educational TV programs such as the Italian public science show Superquark, and contributes opinion pieces and essays to Italian newspapers. His podcast can be listened to at this link: https://www.barberopodcast.it/. At the end of September, precisely on September 27th at 5:30 PM, Dr. Alessandro Barbero will give a lecture in Kobarid about a historic event that Italians do not remember with pride: the defeat in the Battle of Kobarid (Caporetto) during World War I.

"This is one of the most traumatic historical events, still deeply rooted in collective memory – with 12,000 deaths, 30,000 wounded, and 300,000 prisoners – which also connects Italy and Slovenia in a common memory. Professor Barbero, author of the book Caporetto(2017, Laterza), will present his reconstruction of the battle and in an inspiring narrative will offer the story of the battle, which is not only an exceptional example of military history but is also understood by the author as a reflection of the Italian social context at that time," according to the website of the co-organizer, the Fundacija Poti miru. The other co-organizer is the festival èStoria, with participation by ZRC SAZU, specifically the Zgodovinski inštitut Milka Kosa.

The traumatizing memory of the "breakthrough at Kobarid," as the Slovenian name for the battle is (inappropriately) termed, is also evidenced by an Italian expression where the name Caporetto is synonymous with complete defeat, in one word, catastrophe. For example, the phrase "La sua presentazione è stata un vero e proprio Caporetto" could be translated as "His presentation was a complete disaster."

There is no entrance fee for Alessandro Barbero’s lecture, which will last about two hours and will be introduced by Slovenian journalist and editor Janko Petrovec. However, reservation is required at this link: https://www.eventbrite.dk/e/caporetto-1917-lettura-di-una-battaglia-kobarid-1917-pripoved-o-bitki-tickets-1434613289969?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1. The lecture will be in Italian, with simultaneous interpretation into Slovenian provided.

Photo credits: Alessio Jacona, Festival della Comunicazione, Wikipedia.

Photo of the Vršič Pass, which was one of the most important supply routes for the Isonzo front: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1970-073-25 / CC-BY-SA 3.0; license: CC BY-SA 3.0 de; URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5482561.