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It would be The Desert of the Tartars by Dino Buzzati. Despite the fact the supposed model of the Bastiani fort is located in the Dolomites, the book also conjures up visions of the harsh grandeur of the Maurienne landscapes: the formidable Esseillon barrier (which in 1860 was made sentry of a « dead border »), the improbable barracks of Malamot, forgotten at 2 900 metres of altitude or the silhouettes of the strange Lanserlia peaks, which rise from the rocky terrain at the centre of the Vanoise.
These sites, whether crafted by nature or human hand, elicit a strange fascination, one that resonates like an echo in the Desert of the Tartars.
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