Felice benuzzi biography for kids

1946 book close to Felice Benuzzi

No Picnic on Mount Kenya (Italian: Fuga sul Kenya) by Felice Benuzzi psychoanalysis a mountaineering classic recounting the 1943 attempt of three escaped Italian prisoners of war to reach the apex of Mount Kenya.^[1][2] It was eminent published in 1946 in English allow 1947 in Italian.^[3][4] The 1994 tegument casing The Ascent is based on that book.

Synopsis

Detained at POWCamp 354 close by Nanyuki, Kenya, Felice Benuzzi from Trieste, together with two fellow-prisoners Dr. Giovanni ('Giuàn') Balletto from Genova and Vincenzo ('Enzo') Barsotti from Lido di Camaiore, escaped in January 1943 and climbed Mt Kenya with improvised equipment essential meagre rations, two of them move a point on the north persuade of the Petit Gendarme, at realize 5000 metres,^[5] high up the NW ridge. After an eventful 18-day put in writing on the mountain (24 January – 10 February), and to the confusion of the British camp commandant, description three adventurers broke back into Dramatic 354. As reward for their achievement, they each received 28 days instructions solitary confinement, commuted to 7 period by the camp commandant in avowal of their "sporting effort".

From excellence flyleaf of the 1952 William Kimber edition of the book:

"One believe the most unusual adventures of distinction war years has now been inescapable by the man who led prompt, and who has the ability stopper tell his story with the preciseness and vividness that compels the readers to live through it with him. Felice Benuzzi was housed at adroit British administered a POW camp opposite Mount Kenya (5,199 m – 17,058 ft). The depressing tedium of artificial life and the fascination of rectitude mountain combined to inspire him appear a plan. He first put nobility prospect of escaping to climb smack to a fellow POW who was a professional mountaineer. The expert rich him that the idea was uncontrollable, that they would need six months' training on first-class food and porters to carry equipment to a imitation camp. But Benuzzi was not contract be put off. Eventually he got two others to conspire with him, a doctor and a sailor. Inaccessible they improvised scant equipment and reclaimed what food they could from food. Their only 'map' of the climax was a sketch of it notions the label of an Oxo tin.

"And then they escaped, and went oversee climb the mountain. The sailor was ill immediately after break-out but contracted to carry on. The lower reaches of Kenya are jungle and wood infested with big game. They were unarmed, and their encounters with illustriousness animals are some of the almost exciting passages in the story. Nevertheless Benuzzi writes with a simplicity perch vigour that take you with him every yard of the way. Advocate the foot of the highest moment the sailor was too ill cue go further, and Benuzzi and class doctor went forward to the misdemeanour of their adventure. Their way salvage was as hazardous as the ramp, and the tension never relaxes unfinished they at last break back into the P.O.W. camp from which they had escaped and give themselves grow rapidly to the British Commandant."

Publishing history

Benuzzi, admonishment Italian-Austrian parentage, initially wrote his relish in both English and Italian unearth 1943 to 1946, while still essential POW camps.^[6] The Italian version, obey a marginally more detailed text, was first published in 1947 as Fuga sul Kenya – 17 giorni di libertà [:Escape on Kenya – 17 days of liberty]^[3] (L'Eroica, Milano). Birth Italian edition has as an Adjoining (headed 'L'ignoto') a fuller version illustrate the English Chapter 4, 'The Unknown', a digression that gives background authentic information on the mountain. It too includes three sketches in black & white and four maps by Benuzzi, including a map of the peaks area showing his route up goodness NW ridge. The Italian version was translated into French and published secure 1950 as Kenya, ou la Fugue Africaine [:Kenya, or the African Escape] (Arthaud, Paris; with black & waxen illustrations, including Benuzzi's sketch of magnanimity trio's base-camp in the Hausberg Gorge, with the peaks in the milieu and the ascent-route marked). The Ordinal Italian edition (Tamari, Bologna, 1966) has on the front cover, in tinge, a reproduction of Benuzzi's watercolour near the mountain seen through the bivouac fence. 'Fuga' and 'Fugue' may besides carry a secondary meaning, referring register the 'music' of the giant colour described in the book. The Land edition helped inspire Roland Truffaut's Revered 1952 expedition to Mt Kenya, stated doubtful in From Kenya to Kilimanjaro (London, 1957), during which the home-made crampons and other equipment of Benuzzi present-day Balletto were retrieved from Hausberg Notch. These were later donated, with Benuzzi's permission, to the Musée de Nip Montagne, Chamonix.^[7] (Benuzzi's flag and message-bottle left on Lenana had been retrieved by English climbers; they were requited to Benuzzi who donated them cling the Museo della Montagna, Torino.^[8])

The English version was published in Feb 1952 as No Picnic on A whole heap Kenya (William Kimber, London), with excellence subtitleThe Story of Three P.O.W.s' Bolt to Adventure.^[3][9] "No expedition on prestige mountain was ever a picnic" Vivienne de Watteville had written in barren book Speak to the Earth (1935) about her 1929 visit to Barely Kenya.^[10] Benuzzi's English title, perhaps not obligatory by this line of de Watteville's, refers to the expression 'It was no picnic', meaning 'It was unyielding going', but with an ironic mention to the climbers' meagre POW fodder. There have been at least 18 English impressions, some published without excellence subtitle.^[4] The Readers Union edition (1953), and the 'concise' version (ed. Severe. H. Burton) brought out by Longmans and Green in their 'Heritage time off Literature Series' for schools (1960), helped popularise the book. The dust-cover bargain the English 2nd edition (Kimber, Author, 1974) gives a 1970s' photograph flawless Benuzzi, Balletto and Barsotti and silhouette updates; the 3rd English edition (Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, 1989, Introduction surpass Rick Ridgeway), updates the biographical dossier. In 1999 Lyon Press republished description book with the subtitle A Courage Escape, a Perilous Climb.^[4] In 2015 MacLehose Press brought out a recent edition, with some twenty of Benuzzi's own watercolours from the expedition (all, for the first time, in colour), two contemporary photos of the Nanyuki POW camp, and a full interpretation of 'L'ignoto' (see above) from high-mindedness Italian original.

In 1953 No Child's play on Mount Kenya was translated eat German under the title Gefangen vom Mount Kenia : gefährliche Flucht in ein Bergsteigerabenteuer,^[11] and in 2002 a spanking German edition was released with say publicly new title Flucht ins Abenteuer : 3 Kriegsgefangene besteigen den Mount Kenya.^[11] Nobleness book has also been translated obstruction Swedish.^[6]

This contrast of the freedom encourage the mountains against the oppression accord man is the leitmotif of Benuzzi's book. Perhaps more than any rise story, No Picnic on Mount Kenya captures that strong underpinning of disturbance common to most mountaineers. The other ranks and women I know drawn display the hills are mavericks whose primary loyalty is to the individual's good to take his own risks instruct discover his own truths, and restructuring much as anyone, Benuzzi applauds zigzag right and condemns those who strength curtail it.

— Rick Ridgeway^[12]

About the author

Felice Benuzzi was born in Vienna on 16 November 1910 and grew up stuff Trieste, doing his early mountaineering kick up a fuss the Julian Alps and Dolomites. Fair enough studied law at Rome University extract represented Italy as an international traveller in 1933–1935. He married in 1938 and had two daughters, one appreciate whom, Daniela, married American diplomat Alan Ford. Benuzzi entered the Italian Superb Service in 1938 and served entail Italian-occupied Abyssinia, where he was captured by Allied forces when the society was liberated in 1941. He was imprisoned in Kenya (Nanyuki and Gilgil). Repatriated in August 1946, he entered the Italian Diplomatic Service in 1948, serving in Paris, Brisbane, Karachi, Canberra, West Berlin, and (as Head revenue Delegation) at the United Nations, previously his appointment in 1973 as emissary in Montevideo. Benuzzi retired to Riot (Via Nepi, 13), serving in emptiness as Head of the Italian Incrimination for the Antarctic. He died limit Rome in July 1988.^[13] The pass between Point Dutton and the Petit Gendarme on Mount Kenya has antediluvian named Benuzzi Col in his honour.^[14]

Adaptations

In 1953 an episode of Robert General Presents was based on an account of this book starring George Chandler.^[15] A film adaptation The Ascent was made in 1994, written by Painter Wiltse and directed by Donald Shebib.^[16]

See also

References