Diplo’s Diplomats as Writers initiative draws inspiration from the work of Amb. Stefano Baldi, Italian diplomat and Diplo faculty member, and Amb. Pasquale Baldocci, in preparing a bibliography of books published by Italian diplomats, published in the book Through the Diplomatic Looking Glass (La Penna del diplomatico) which illustrates the considerable contributions that diplomats have made to our literary and cultural heritage. At least five Nobel literature prize recipients have been diplomats!
Baldi and Baldocci’s initiative has sparked interest in this unexplored topic and prompted Swiss Amb. Jacques Rial to write the book Le Bicorne et la Plume about Swiss diplomat-writers. Several other countries have expressed interest and suggested new books.
Italy
The book Through the Diplomatic Looking Glass by Stefano Baldi and Pasquale Baldocci studies books published by Italian diplomats from the post-war period to today. More than 760 titles give a picture of the diverse interests that distinguish the members of the diplomatic profession.
This volume evokes not only the talent for describing situations and characters, but also the broad, diverse interests that distinguish the members of this profession. As well, this study takes a broader view of relations between diplomacy and literature, examining the primary moments and protagonists of this relationship.
Diplomats are born with a pen in hand. They write countless reports, analyses, and memoranda during their 35 to 40 years of service. Writing becomes a daily activity. This continuous engagement with writing sometimes sparks a desire to compose something more permanent and deep than the usual fleeting report likely read only by a close circle of colleagues. The books that diplomats publish are scarcely-known sides of diplomats.
The results of the research are regularly updated through Baldi's dedicated website. Baldi has also established the experimental mailing list Diplomat-Writer to facilitate the exchange of information on books published by diplomats all around the world.
Through the Diplomatic Looking Glass contents:
- The Object of this Study
- Why Diplomats Write Books
- Memoirs
- Books on International Affairs
- History
- Books on Italian Emigration and Italians Abroad
- Books on Economics and International Cooperation
- Novels and Short Stories
- Poetry and Theatre
- Other Books
- Diplomacy and Literature
- List of Books Published by Italian Diplomats on Duty After 1946 (by genre)
- List of Authors
- The Research in Numbers
- Photographic Books on Italian Diplomatic Missions
- Using the Internet for Bibliographic Research
Webinar: 'Diplomats as Writers: Marrying the arts and diplomacy'
Switzerland
The book Le Bicorne et la Plume by Swiss Amb. Jacques Rial, now available online, has benefited from many suggestions, corrections, and additions by Swiss colleagues. It was published in September 2008 under the joint sponsorship of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva) and DiploFoundation.
Diplomats normally write a lot. It is part of their trade. But do they publish? They certainly do since there are at least six Nobel Literature prize winners among them (St John Perse, Pablo Neruda, George Séféris, Ivo Andrić, Czesław Miłosz, Octavio Paz) and maybe more.
In Switzerland, however (as in a few other countries), strict administrative regulations often limit this activity. Nevertheless, Rial, a retired Swiss diplomat, has looked into the catalogues of the main Swiss libraries and has made some surprising discoveries.
