The program of initiatives promoted for 2024 by the Circolo Rhegium Julii present at the Turin International Book Fair with its own delegation composed of Benedetta Borrata, Mario Musolino and Natale Pace ended with widespread appreciation.
A cultural contribution with very important contents: starting from the memory of the writer Saverio Strati on the centenary of his birth, to the multifaceted figure of Leonida Repaci, all unforgettable protagonists of Italian civil growth of the twentieth century.
With the coordination of the councilor for culture Filippo Quartuccio, Mario Musolino, the essayist Benedetta Borrata, the writer Palma Comandè, the journalist Santo Strati (Rhegium Julii 2023 special prize for journalism and incisive disseminator of Calabrian cultural history and Natale Pace who dissected in all facets the ponderous personality of Repaci, the short films of Orsola Toscano and Ilda Tripodi, were important protagonists of this Turin season.
Present were the mayor Giuseppe Falcomatà, the competent councilor and the delegation from the culture office, Mario Musolino illustrated the 56 years of history of the Rhegium Julii, talking about the great founder Giuseppe Casile, the subsequent presidency of Pino Bova, the great initiatives that characterized their action and above all the credibility that allowed the Association to host hundreds of national and international personalities.
Musolino did not forget to remember the prestigious presidents of the jury of the Rhegium Julii Awards: Guglielmo Calarco, Antonio Donat Cattin, Raffaele Nigro, Corrado Calabrò and the many personalities who, over the years, have contributed to raising the level of attractiveness of the initiatives: from Gilda Trisolini to Emilio Argiroffi, from Walter Mauro and Elena Clementelli, from Giovannino Russo to Arrigo Petacco, from Mimì Rea to Antonio Spinosa, Alda Merini and Mario Soldati, from Dante Maffia to our Giacchino Criaco and Mimmo Gangemi.
A history marked by significant recognitions: the golden Sangiorgio awarded twice by the Municipality of Reggio Calabria, the first Prize of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage for the project “To love the book”, the reception of the Presidents of the Republic Sandro Pertini, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Francesco Cossiga and Giorgio Napolitano.
Going into the merits of the 2024 programmes, Musolino recalled the initiatives already carried out such as World Poetry Day, The Cenacles still in progress, the meetings with the author, the intervention of the deputy general secretary of the UN Maria Francesca Spatolisano, the conference on the theme “Powers of the State, what balance” with the journalist Giuseppe Smorto, the Head of the Digies Department Daniele Cananzi and the magistrate Antonio Salvati, and the Surprise Lessons in schools.
He then illustrated the series of meetings “At seven in the evening” which will be held in June, the “Literary Cafés” in July and August which will see as guests the philosopher from Irvine Ermanno Bencivenga, the writer Arcangelo Badolati, Prof. Tonino Perna, the journalist Luca Serafini, the Heidelberg physicist who studied the world’s algorithm Luca Amendola, the philosopher from Cuny College in New York Massimo Pigliucci and the writer Carmine Abate.
The Rhegium Julii prize for unpublished works will arrive at the end of August with the presentation of the “A life for culture” prizes to Silvestre Clancier, president of the Mallarmè Institute in Paris, and Muriel Augry Merlino, head of the French cultural institutes.
Finally, the month of October will see the awarding of the Rhegium Julii Awards for fiction, non-fiction, poetry and southern studies as well as the international “Città dello Strait” Award.
The jury chaired by Corrado Calabrò and composed of Benedetta Borrata (essayist), Giuseppe Caridi (historian), Gioacchino Criaco (writer), Mimmo Gangemi (writer) Annarosa Macrì (writer), Mimmo Nunnari (journalist and writer), is already at work to examine the shortlist of finalists who will be chosen from the 8 works already selected for each section.
The awards ceremony will be held this year at the Cilea theater on October 26th, at 9pm. Finally, a full program was presented to the working commission for Taurianova Book Capital 2024.
The Rhegium Julii, after 56 years, has not yet stopped carrying out its mission of cultural and social edification and with only one objective: to make an active and uncompromising contribution to the growth and change of the territory.
