It is Agata Orrico, from the 2L class of the Carlo Alberto classical and linguistic high school, who on Saturday 11 May was proclaimed the absolute winner of the national literary prize “There was a turning point”, organized by the “Giordano Bruno” high school of Albenga (with the contribution of the Municipality of Albenga and the ‘A. De Mari’ Foundation of Savona) and now in its XXVII edition, which saw 750 stories in the competition.
The school has been participating in the competition for 10 years now, thanks to the contact professor. Ilaria Domenici, always with excellent results. Intended for students of secondary schools and aimed at promoting creative writing and contemporary fiction, the Award is included by the Ministry of Education in the National Plan for the valorization of excellence. The formula is well known: every year in November the candidates try their hand at writing a story starting from an incipit provided, from time to time, by the most famous writers of Italian fiction (among many, De Carlo, Vassalli, Mazzucco, Malvaldi , Eco, De Giovanni), who personally participate in the final selection of the texts and the award ceremony. This year it was Maria Grazia Calandrone’s turn to provide the inspiration; the writer, finalist in the last Strega Prize with ‘Where you didn’t take me’, particularly appreciated, in Agata’s story, “the idea, the contemporary use of classical culture: a funny, highly original piece, wicked to the right degree , with a surprising point of view.”
Agata, still in disbelief at the success achieved, confided the anxious wait when she realized that her text was in the final five; she is also very happy with the friendships created with those who shared this experience with her. «I really like writing – she says – even if the right words don’t always come to me, but as soon as I have an interesting idea, I develop it with enthusiasm».
