She’s the youngest daughter of Sicilian immigrants Frank and Filomena Marino. Can you tell us something about the characters of Rose and Sal?Įlisa: Rose is 18 when the story opens. And Louis’ daughter Lena Prima plays her father’s hits at the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Lounge every week.īarb: There’s a love story at the heart of the book. Mary’s Italian Church on Chartres Street to light a candle. You can still buy a muffuletta sandwich at Central Grocery, a cannoli at Brocato’s (though it’s moved to the Mid-City neighborhood), or stop into St. The lower end of the French Quarter was a thriving ethnic enclave by the early 1940s-the mayor of New Orleans was descended from Sicilian immigrants, local trumpet player and band leader Louis Prima was a star, and there were Italian grocery stores, macaroni factories, bakeries, and restaurants. Is there anything left we can visit today?Įlisa: The migration of Sicilians to south Louisiana in the late 1800s, and subsequently into New Orleans, is another fascinating and little-known aspect of New Orleans culture and history. My father was an Italian prisoner of war during World War II and my Mom was a local Sicilian girl in the French Quarter.” I was floored, and immediately thought, “someone should write a book about this.” It took me a while, but eventually I was that someone.īarb: Most people associate New Orleans with people with French, Spanish, and Creole backgrounds.
We were swapping stories about growing up in Italian families and he said, “well, my parents were a little different. I stumbled across the story when I met a man named Joe Faroldi, a local chef in New Orleans, back in about 2003. How did you get interested in this topic?Įlisa: You’re not alone! I’ve talked to so many people-World War II history buffs, Italian Americans, New Orleans folks-unless people had some direct interaction with these prisoners of war, most people have no idea.
I have since learned there were 4000 German POWs in Maine.
I also think of it a “book club fiction,” because it’s the kind of novel that gives you plenty to think about and discuss after you’ve read it.īarb: I have to admit I knew nothing about WWII POWs in this country until I read your book.
From a genre perspective, it is historical fiction. The Italian Prisoner is about Italian prisoners of war in New Orleans during World War II and the Sicilian-American community that offered them goodwill and support.
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