“I’ve wanted to write this incredible and completely authentic story ever since my father told me as a child,” says Arturo Perez-Reverte about the novel “The Italian”, which sold several hundred thousand copies in the author’s homeland. The real story of the Italian swimmers who sank fourteen British ships the story of the triumph of individuals over a powerful military machine against all odds was told differently for many years. Italians were traditionally portrayed as stupid cowards, and Pérez-Reverte wanted to restore justice. Italy was an ally of Germany in World War II, but this does not bother him: “In my novels, the border between the hero and the villain is always conditional . My characters could be on either side of . Heroes are always ambiguous. And whoever does not understand this, let him go to the devil.”