The Angel of the Dolomites book
The Angel of the Dolomites book
The book Angel of the Dolomites is about Emilio Comici, who is one of the pioneers and virtuosos of the sixth level and giants who significantly marked the history of alpinism.
In the period between the two wars, he introduced new techniques and approaches to climbing, and systematic training in his home mountain Glinščica led to an exceptional climbing level and, consequently, a series of daring first-time routes, such as Comici – Benedeti on the north face of Civeta, Rumeni raz on Mala Cina, and the epic route Comici – Dimai on Velika Cina, which he even soloed in 1937 in an exceptional time of 3 hours and 15 minutes due to a dispute with the Dimai brothers.
Canadian mountaineer and writer David Smart has created an impressive biography of one of the most misunderstood geniuses of mountaineering from existing sources, which were often obscure or shrouded in mystery. With a sense and understanding of Comici's contradictory character, he has rehabilitated him in a way, without falling into revisionism. He has delved into the complex international situation of the time, into the roots of Italian fascism, which strongly marked both Italian alpinism and Comici.
For Slovenians, the accompanying phrase "Comics and Slovenians" is especially valuable.
"Comici lived, worked and grew up climbing with Slovenians or at least alongside them. Slovenians were his first fellow climbers. He earned his living in the multinational environment of Trieste, he dreamed of the mountains multilingually, but the events between the two wars fatally interfered with the previously unified climbing community..." wrote its author Jernej Šček, shedding in-depth light on the specifics of events in the Trieste region between the two wars and Comici's relations with Slovenian climbers.
The book received both of the most prestigious awards for mountaineering literature,
2020 Banff Mountaineering Festival Grand Prize
and the Boardman-Tasker Prize in 2021.