Franco Stelzer with “Stiratore di luce” wins the Bergamo Fiction Prize

Bergamo. “Styrer of light” Of Franco Stelzer published by the Hopefulmonster publishing house 2023, won the 40th edition of the Bergamo National Fiction Award.

In the preferences of the Popular Jury “Styrer of light” (Hopefulmonster 2023) by Franco Stelzer got a total of 35 votes.

It preceded “L’oro è giallo” (Hacca 2023) by Benedetta Fallucchi credited with 28 votes.
In third place with 24 votes “The shadow of the volcano” (Einaudi 2023) by Marco Rossari, followed in fourth place with 19 votes by “The truth and the biro” (Einaudi 2023) by Tiziano Scarpa, and by “ Witches do not exist” (Bompiani 2023) by Luca Scarlini.

This is the verdict communicated on the evening of Saturday 27 April in the splendid setting of the Teatro alle Grazie, live, in front of a large audience who were able to listen to the writers known through the pages of their books, and presented in the month of March in the Tiraboschi Library by Giacomo Raccis (all available for review on the Award website and on You Tube).

After the host’s thanks to the protagonists of the Award and their supporters Max Pavan, journalist responsible for information at Bergamo TV, President Massimo Rocchi took the floor to introduce this 40th edition, followed by greetings from Confesercenti with Filippo Caselli and Claudio Re who remembered the birth of the Award 40 years ago, the Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Bergamo Nadia Ghisalberti and the cultural delegate for the Province of Bergamo Romina Russo.

This was followed by five significant alternating interviews of the finalist writers conducted as always by the journalist Max Pavan with competence and ability to summarize the salient points of each book which allows, even those who have not read the book, to fully enter the atmosphere of the Opera.

The 2019 winner then took the stage Giulia Corsaliniwho then conquered the podium with his first novel “Checkov’s Reader” (nighttime 2018) and who wanted to greet the audience of the Award. The President of the Award, Massimo Rocchi, will present his latest work on Sunday morning 28th April, at 11am at the 65th Fiera dei Librai (Sentierone 20th April – 1st May Bergamo) at Spazio Incontri.The condition of memory” (Guanda 2024).

Finally, the votes expressed by the various categories of the Popular Jury were read out and which decreed the winner of this edition: Franco Stelzer was proclaimed the winner of the 40th edition of the Bergamo Narrative Prize 2024 and as per the regulations he received a prize of 2,500 euros which joins the previous 500 as a finalist. A total of 125 votes were received out of 130 eligible voters.

At the time the jury was made up of 70 jurors “over 25 years old”, 30 members of the “young jury”, reading groups from libraries, bookshops and cultural associations, including the Bergamo prison (20), classes of City and provincial schools (10). With a significant increase in reading groups, we remember those coming from all over Italy.

The winner was rewarded with a diploma Luca Gotti, Regional Director of West Lombardy of BPER Bancafrom this year sponsor of the Bergamo Prize, one of the longest-running and most important literary prizes of national importance.