Giovanni Guareschi: Italian author Guareschi wrote a series of stories about a priest named Don Camillo and his arch-enemy, the Communist mayor Peppone. These stories were originally published in a weekly periodical in Italian between the years 1946 and 1960. The pieces tell the ongoing story of the clashing worldviews and evangelistic methods of the Communists and the Catholics of a small Italian village. Don Camillo has frequent conversations with Christ who speaks from a crucifix in Don Camillo’s little chapel and tells Don Camillo to fight atheistic Communism with grace and forgiveness, orders Don Camillo is often too proud and angry to follow. The stories are humorous and at the same time full of insight into human nature and the difficulty of fighting fire with . . . Christian humility. The six volumes of Don Camillo stories in English translation are:

The Little World of Don Camillo (1950)
Don Camillo and His Flock (aka Don Camillo and the Prodigal Son) (1952)
Don Camillo’s Dilemma (1954)
Don Camillo Takes the Devil by the Tail (aka Don Camillo and the Devil) (1957)
Comrade Don Camillo (1964)
Don Camillo Meets the Flower Children (aka Don Camillo Meets Hell’s Angels) (1969)

Here’s an illustration by Guareschi, who was an artist and cartoonist as well as an author, of Don Camillo’s little village:

Sadly, I only have a copy of and have only read the first book, The Little World of Don Camillo, but surely the other collections are just as delightful. I found at least two websites dedicated to Giovanni Guareschi and his writings, so maybe he’s not completely “under the radar.” Nevertheless, if you haven’t been introduced to his “little world”, it’s time to home in on some funny little stories with a message of peace on earth, good will to men.

The Little World of Giovanni Guareschi.

The Little World Wide Web Homepage of Don Camillo.

Samuel Shellabarger is a much different kettle of fish. He wrote, also back in the forties and fifties, historical fiction, popular and reminiscent of the work of Alexander Dumas or maybe your favorite historical romance author. However, Shellabarger knew how to write popular fiction with a thoughtful subtext. He wrote the following novels:
The Black Gale (1929)
Captain from Castile (1946) (1947 film starring Tyrone Power, Cesar Romero, Lee J. Cobb)
The Door of Death (1928)
The King’s Cavalier (1950)
Lord Vanity (1953)
Prince of Foxes (1947) (1949 film starring Tyrone Power and Orson Welles)
The Token (1955)
Tolbecken (1955)

I’ve read Captain From Castile and Prince of Foxes. I enjoyed the former book, but probably won’t return to it. Prince of Foxes is one of my very favorite books ever. (I even talked my mother into reading my worn out copy just this week.) The novel tells the story of Andrea Orsini, a social climber during the Renaissance Italy times of the Borgias, Michaelangelo, and da Vinci. Orsini is determined to become a gentleman, to do whatever it takes to overcome his humble origins, including service to Cesare Borgia, the Machiavellian politician who plans to unite Italy by force if necessary. Orsini’s fate becomes entangled with that of his servant and erstwhile assassin, Mario Belli, and also with the fortunes of a beautiful young woman, Camilla Varano, and her elderly husband, the Duke Varano of Citta del Monte. Throughout the novel, Orsini is torn between the demands of his ambition and his sense of morality and honor.

W.H. Hudson: The final “under the radar” recommendation for today dates back to my college days. Green Mansions was actually published in 1904, way before my time, but I was introduced to this fine story of Mr. Abel and Rima the Bird Girl during my college days, in Dr. Huff’s Advanced Reading Survey class. (Wonderful class, wonderful professor, by the way.) The basic plot is simple: a young man meets a mysterious and beautiful bird-girl in the depths of the Venezuelan jungle. The two fall in love, but the perfect love between them is spoiled by the appearance of both primitive envy and fear and the encroachment of civilization. The plot summary doesn’t do the novel justice, however. Hudson was a distinguished naturalist, and his descriptions of the rain forest flora and fauna are beautifully done and, I assume, accurate. Hudson once said, “The sense of the beautiful is God’s best gift to the human soul.” He had a sense of the beautiful and the ability to describe beauty and the honesty to tell a story that included the tragic ending that mars all perfection in our world.

In Search of Rima: a painting and a bit about the novel.

Gutenberg’s etext of Green Mansions. I think, however, you’re going to want to read it from a real book. Try your library or used bookstore.