Iris Origo

Iris Origo (1902-1988) was a British-born biographer and writer. She lived in Italy and devoted much of her life to the improvement of the Tuscan estate at La Foce, which she purchased with her husband in the 1920s. During World War II, she sheltered refugee children and assisted many escaped Allied prisoners of war and partisans in defiance of Italy's Fascist regime and Nazi occupation forces. NYRB Classics publishes Origo's A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary, 1939-1940 , War in Val d...See more

Iris Origo (1902-1988) was a British-born biographer and writer. She lived in Italy and devoted much of her life to the improvement of the Tuscan estate at La Foce, which she purchased with her husband in the 1920s. During World War II, she sheltered refugee children and assisted many escaped Allied prisoners of war and partisans in defiance of Italy's Fascist regime and Nazi occupation forces. NYRB Classics publishes Origo's A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary, 1939-1940 , War in Val d'Orcia: An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944 , and Images and Shadows: Part of a Life . Charles Nicholl is a historian, biographer, and travel writer. His most recent book is Traces Remain: Essays and Explorations . He lives in Italy. See less