Dino Buzzati's The Stronghold, aka The Tartar Steppe (1938) | Book Review and Analysis

A reflection on Dino Buzzati's The Stronghold, also known as The Tartar Steppe (Il deserto dei Tartari / La fortezza), which is often compared to Franz Kafka's The Castle (1926). English translation by Lawrence Venuti published by New York Review Books (NYRB) in 2023.

My review of Kafka's The Castle:
   • Franz Kafka's The Castle (1926) | Boo...  

"Waiting for the Barbarians," by C. P. Cavafy (Κωνσταντίνος Πέτρου Καβάφης):
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...

Contents:
00:00 – Epigraph
00:10 – Introduction
01:30 – Title
02:25 – Premise or situation
03:18 – Connections with other works
06:00 – Allegory
06:54 – Theme: Expectations vs. reality
09:23 – Theme: My experience as an immigrant
11:51 – Comparison with Kafka's The Castle
13:28 – A couple of quotes
15:39 – The Borges connection
17:53 – Bottom line