The dramatic political events occurring in Italy from the rise of Fascism to the emergence of the new Republic after World War II often had the effect of overshadowing the critical role literature played in the struggle to represent and reform the reality of the times. One of the leading voices of this period was the novelist Francesco Jovine, an important representative of the movement known as neo-realism. Jovine's literary career and work well demonstrate the peculiar difficulties an Italian writer was bound to face during those trying years. In fact, Jovine's work is indicative of the crisis affecting a whole generation, as both artistic and ideological factors are vigorously interrelated in his works. By experimenting with various literary modes, and by employing a Gramscian critique of ideology, Jovine managed to respond to the tymely debate concerning the social practice of literature as well as to fulfill his own quest to reinvest literature with the mimetic power to mirror and mediate the reality it portrays.
