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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 JUNE 2022 5 BOOK Book review Unlearnt lessons from the past GODWI N ELLU L WH AT is the price of living one more second? To many who have realised the impor- tance of life the answer to this question is: priceless. But then, what makes man seek war? The unequal distribu- tion of wealth? Racism? Is it ambition, political power and authorit y? Is it money or ide- ology or ignorance? Whatever may be the answer, the conse- quence is misery, famine, and death. Often it is the result of political power wielded in the hands of the wrong person, which unfortunately very of- ten has to be paid for by the common man. All of a sudden he has to adapt to the new economic and social condi- tions surrounding him while family roles are disrupted and the need to build a future de- stroyed. After World War II Eu- rope experienced a period of peace and prosperity. So when the Russo-Ukrainian War broke out it came as a shock to each and every one of us liv- ing on the continent and be- yond. This political situation encouraged nations to reas- sess and redefine their posi- tions seeking shelter from the storm. For instance countries like Sweden and Finland, being so close to Russian borders, have quickly submitted their application to become NATO members. NATO itself, after being a dormant organisation for so many years, faced all of sudden with the threat of war, started mobilising its military resources. Despite the checks and balances put in place after World War II in an attempt to prevent future battles be- tween nations, the world is once again confronted with the spectre of war. In fact it appears that the atrocities of World War I and the suffering endured in the trenches of Gallipoli were not enough to prevent the out- break of the World War II as some politicians seemed to forget what people had to endure during those World Wars. I have started my reflec- tions on Alfred Massa's novel Il-Ħarba by focussing on the previous two World Wars and what is happening presently in the Ukraine – not only be- cause Massa's work is inspired by the suffering the Jews en- dured during the Nazi regime but also because the political and economic scenarios we are experiencing today in the Russo-Ukrainian War are very similar to what the world ex- perienced in the first and sec- ond quarters of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the same ingredients seem to ex- ist for the possible outbreak of World War III. The sufferings and deaths of the Jewish people have been recorded and studied after the end of World War II. Nov- els and memoirs have been written that have shocked the world. So great was the de- struction at the time that af- ter eighty years the public is still reading stories about the Holocaust and directors are making movies about the cata- clysmic event of World War II, such as Dunkirk directed and produced by Christopher No- lan and Churchill directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. Massa's work published in 2022 is a step in this direction because it speaks about the escape from the Nazis of five Jewish families into the forest of Bialowieza. Like earlier au- thors such as Sir Walter Scott, Balzac, Fenimore Cooper and Tolstoy, Massa employs his- torical fiction to convey his social and political message to the reader. In Malta an ex- ample of this type of writing would be Aquilina's Taħt Tliet Saltniet. The historical novel has been defined as a 'novel that has as its setting a period of history and that attempts to convey the spirit, manners, and social conditions of a past age with realistic detail and fi- delity to historical fact.' In this case Massa's work like some of his earlier ones includ- ing Rebbiegħa Kollha Lwien (2019) and L-Istar tal-Im- għoddi (2018) provides details about the practices of Jewish traditions and relationships during World War II. In this novel there is also a trace of romantic fiction implying that notwithstanding the hardships created by the war people still seek to love and be loved, to marry and build a family out of the ruins of war. In Il-Ħarba one reads for example about the marriage between Benja- min and Maria or jealousy be- tween Benjamin and David. It has been noted that in Ukraine around 25,000 couples have tied the knot over the last few months. The creation of new families in Ukraine shows an element of hope despite Rus- sia's attempts to destroy the country. In his novel Massa makes reference to the 'unknown soldier'. Jum wieħed ir-Rab- bi sejjaħ lill-irġiel u ppreżen- talhom lis-'Suldat Mhux Magħruf' (p. 90) Levi (p.111). Levi is the name signifying the unification or founding of something. Historically the 'unknown soldier' represents all missing and unknown ser- vice members who served and made the ultimate sacrifice – they not only gave their lives, but also their identities to pro- tect these freedoms. One of the implications con- tained in the novel is the dis- placement of persons during the war. Displacement im- plies that people take different roles, uncommon to the ones they are familiar with. Combat operations, ethnic cleansing, and the fear of genocide up- rooted millions of people from their homes over the course of World War II. It is estimated that between 40 and 60 million people were displaced. Ac- cording to the Second Internal Displacement Report issued by the International Organisation for Migration over 7.1 million people have been internally displaced since the invasion of Ukraine. Giorgia Melone when in- terviewed on the programme Porta a Porta said, "guardo mia figlia con occhi diversi." It is an important statement be- cause the persons who stand to lose most from this turmoil are precisely children. Sting in his song Russians states that the "Russians love their chil- dren too." However, in reality more than half of Ukrainian children have been displaced after one month of war (4.3 million) – more than half of the country's estimated 7.5 million child population. This includes more than 1.8 million children who have crossed in- to neighbouring countries as refugees and 2.5 million who are now internally displaced inside Ukraine. Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF has stated that "the war has caused one of the fast- est large-scale displacements of children since World War II." Massa's work has been pub- lished at a time when the world is once again on the edge of worldwide conflict. Taiwan, being another pos- sible area for the outbreak of war. Whilst referring to his- torical issues, events and data Massa presents himself as an investigator and critic of cur- rent affairs. Although discuss- ing past events, Massa's work is valid as a contemporary document to view and analyse present issues. In his unique style of writing Massa brings together history and fiction to present a concise social and political document valid for today's world. Massa's novel Il-Ħarba is a wake-up call for all of us. Pope Francis has described the war in Ukraine as a "macabre re- gression on humanity." How many more lives need to be broken and cities razed to the ground before we realise that nothing is gained by war. The question put forward in 1955 by the Russell-Einstein Mani- festo is still valid. "Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war?" Il-Ħarba is published by Horizons.