PADUA – The first, designated immediately, is dedicated by the author to his mother. The second, always chosen in the first round, to the father. But even in the others examined, the theme of family often re-presented itself, as well as that connected to life stories. People, therefore, but also things, with objects that become protagonists in the pages as they sometimes are in our lives. And with lyrics that are affected by the Covid experience and words that transform into incomparable tools to travel through eras and places. Novels, essays, short stories, which also talk about history, anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, ecology and the environment, with a common denominator: quality.
Yesterday in Padua in the Aula Magna of Palazzo Bo, in fact, the jury of the Campiello Prize selected, among the 85 admitted, the five finalist books of the 62nd edition, preparatory to the announcement of the winner scheduled for 21 September at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, after the verdict entrusted to the evaluations of 300 anonymous readers identified throughout the national territory.
The Jury of writers presided over for the fourth consecutive year (and also the last) by Valter Veltroni, therefore, included in the first round “The fire that you carry inside” by Antonio Franchini (Marsilio) and “The house of the magician” by Emanuele Trevi (Ponte alle Grazie), while in the second and third the greatest acclaim went to “Locus desperatus” by Michele Mari (Einaudi) and “Alma” by Federica Manzon (Feltrinelli). Finally, after a round of empty votes , the last optioned volume was “Dilagaeverywhere” by Vanni Santoni (Laterza). Instead, “The house of white orphans” by Fiammetta Palpati (Laurana Editore) was awarded the recognition reserved for a first work: in this case it is “originality of language, dramaturgy, structure and theme” was recognized; the plot tells of 3 women who retreat to a house to look after their aging mothers, giving life to a paradoxical microcosm inhabited by carers and nuns with surreal tones, who turns the spotlight on a current issue, such as caring for elderly parents.
THE DETAILS
Many people attended the works, including the rector Daniela Mapelli, the president of Confindustria Veneto Est Leopoldo Destro, the municipal councilor for Human Resources Margherita Cera, and numerous civil and military authorities. In addition to Veltroni, the jury was made up of authoritative personalities from the literary and academic world: Pierluigi Battista; Alessandro Beretta; Federico Bertoni; Daniela Brogi; Edoardo Camurri; Chiara Fenoglio, who recalled that in Italy 80 thousand titles are published a year, while 100 novels are published every day; Daria Galateria; Lorenzo Tomasin; Roberto Vecchioni and Emanuele Zinato.
During the ceremony, Giulia Cecchettin was remembered, murdered at the end of 2023 by her ex-boyfriend on the eve of her graduation, and then Enrico Carraro, president of the Il Campiello Foundation – Confindustria Veneto, asked to observe a minute’s silence for Giada Zanola, the young of Vigonza (Padua), who was recently the victim of femicide.
Veltroni himself summarized the rationale for the screening work carried out by the jurors: «We worked with solidarity and tenacity in search of the best possible, and I am happy to have done so with this jury. The last time I was here in the Aula Magna was on the occasion of the awarding of the degree in memory of Giulia Cecchettin and never like that time have we been able to appreciate the value of words. If on that occasion expressions of hatred had been used, as understandably could have happened, and if dad Gino and the poor girl’s sister had not followed the path of understanding and valuing life, probably that story could have changed the language of the time . Words are important and we too here today with the Campiello Prize celebrate their beauty: they are proof of freedom, with which the richness and pluralism of opinions can be expressed. We have tried to use them as an antidote to the gloom of these times, as daily events have often opened a gray umbrella for us that only they can tear apart. And beauty is the antidote: Culture, words and freedom, ultimately, are the same thing. Literature has a time that is not that of current events and among the works we examined there was a bit of everything, but above all introspection and family ties. In the end, 5 beautiful titles were chosen.”
THE REFLECTION
Roberto Vecchioni, singer-songwriter, writer, but also university professor of Ancient Literature, instead gave a wide-ranging overview. «I want to plead a certain archaism, in the sense that the books of the Sixties and Seventies that won the Campiello remained in the memory, because they were written by great authors. Today we must in a certain sense “make do”, because with the expansion of “culture for all” genius has diminished. And this in all fields, including music, cinema and literature, but Campiello tries to find those authors who sincerely describe today’s life and events, giving importance to the popularity of the story.”
«Today more than ever we feel the need for books, for reading – continued Destro – as we live in a difficult period for the world, where temptations of clashes, conflicts and wars re-emerge. Culture is a leaven that can instead regenerate dialogue, human values and with them the peace and growth of people and communities. Continuing to invest in it and in the company is the key to our future, decisive for the new generations.”
«The award – concluded Carraro, having reached the end of his mandate –
more than a simple competition, it is an “ongoing project” that develops throughout the year through initiatives and events. Now it comes to life and the last word belongs to the popular jury whose verdict will be unquestionable, demonstrating the values of independence and transparency that inspire the competition.”
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