“There are those who speak of a spell” say the organizers. And how can you not agree? Leafing through the soft pages of a book, smelling the penetrating fragrance of the paper; being captured by words and transported to a parallel universe, where you can abandon your identity and explore yourself. But let’s get to the heart of the matter. For the occasion, we asked a few questions to Giuliana Damato, owner of the Mondadori Bookstore in Barletta, together with her partner Francesca Centaro. The voice of Francesco Paolo Damato, founder of the Circolo Marida, allowed us to understand the link between the association and the bookshop.
What is Silent Reading? What does it actually consist of?
“In a time in which our ability to “disconnect” from electronic devices is increasingly poor, our spasmodic attention to the notifications and messages received is all-consuming, it has arisen almost as a need – and it is no coincidence that it began in a place in the world where life is more frenetic – rebuilding a space of silence, attention and concentration. The re-appropriation of a time that escapes us and which we must not and cannot do without was the primum movens: and it is. precisely in the gesture of reading that time stops, we return to focus and breathe a freedom that is difficult to savor in the world outside. The second impulse was the need for “community”: it is vital to recognize each other, share, celebrate “literary parties” together silent” are this: people who meet, decide to abandon their cell phones for a couple of hours and immerse themselves in a good read. “Solitude in community” is one of the basic principles of parties: you can take time for yourself and isolate yourself without the obligation to socialize, but you can also engage in discussions, exchange ideas and try to see the world through another’s eyes.”
What is its meaning in this delicate moment for the existence of the book?
“I have to contradict you. We have the pleasure of being able to say, from the splendid observatory that is our bookshop, that there are many male and female readers, even very young ones, eager to discover new paths, to talk about their favorite books, to venture into genres that they didn’t know, to know each other and recognize each other. It was natural to think of bringing them together and deciding to spend time together without hierarchies between strong and weak readers, without judgement, we feel we are making a social, almost political gesture. We understand that it seems to go against the trend in the individualistic society in which we live, but utopias must be made real: our dream is a city full of male and female readers, spaces for reading, opportunities for thought activation and growth. In our small way, let’s start from here.”
Francesco Paolo Damato answered this last question of ours.
Where did the collaboration between the Mondadori Bookstore and the Circolo Marida come from?
“This collaboration has deep roots in the shared passion for promoting culture at a local level. The first event organized by the Club in 2023 was the presentation of a book, a tangible sign of the importance that books and reading have always had for us. Personally, I grew up in an environment where books have always been the absolute protagonists of my daily life. Not because I am an avid reader, but because I have breathed this air in my family. To define us as a “bulwark of culture” is a term strong, but it reflects our constant effort to bring innovation to Barletta. Communicating and introducing these innovations into the city’s modus operandi is not always easy, but we try hard to offer a place and events that offer light-heartedness, freshness and alternatives interesting to the community. The collaboration with the Mondadori Bookstore was natural: I found an open door to creativity and the desire to do, to get involved, exactly like us.”
The Circolo Marida stands out for its versatility and the desire to bring young people into a world, that of cultural associations, which seems to be the prerogative of a restricted audience limited to higher age groups. However, culture is food for the mind: it can become a form of entertainment for kids, an alternative to drinking and dancing, as the founder of the Club tells us.
We also remember the commitment that the association offers in the name of the battle against cancer, raising funds for the AIRC precisely through the numerous activities proposed by the organizers. We invite our audience of readers to take part in this exciting and fresh initiative, to spend a pleasant evening in the company of themselves, a book and many lovers of literature in all its forms.
