Alexander Stille at Pebble Hill

On February 28, 2013, Alexander Stille visited Pebble Hill to discuss his book The Force of Things: A Marriage in War and Peace, the interesting story of Stille’s parents—his father from czarist Russia and his mother from the American Midwest—and their unlikely and tumultuous marriage. Their story is a microhistory of the mass migration of Jews from Fascist-dominated Europe in the 1930s and 1940s and the coming together of two very different worlds. 

Stille discussed the writing of the book, as well as the challenges and benefits of writing family history.  He is an expert on Italian politics and the author of several books, including Excellent Cadavers: The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic and The Sack of Rome: How a Beautiful European County with a Fabled History and a Storied Culture Was Taken Over by a Man Named Silvio Berlusconi. 

Following the book reading, Stille discussed the role of journalist and writer in politics, especially as an outsider to a country as important and interesting as Italy.  Students were particularly interested in Stille’s journey as a writer, which has led him on many exciting adventures.  He is currently the San Paolo Professor of International Journalism at the Columbia School of Journalism in New York. His awards are many, and we are grateful for his visit to Auburn University.