An ancient African proverb states: the child goes faster than the elderly, but it is the elderly who knows the way. Knowing the path is an achievement that requires time, experience, courage and self-sacrifice. And knowing “the road” also means knowing the history of humanity, remembering the importance of historical studies in the present, the weight of knowledge in the project of the future. In the history of Alessandro Barbero these variables are incredibly close. Because the historian, tireless popularizer who turns 65 today, still has a vivid gleam in his eyes.
The Laterza festival
It is that sparkle of the Turin child who over 50 years ago at his grandmother’s house, reading the magazine “La Storia illustrata”, immersing himself in the pages of the great facts of humanity, discovered that he viscerally loved History. And wanting to make a job out of it. And he did well, for him and for all those today who can become passionate about the subject thanks to his clear and relevant history lessons. Like those of the last few days on April 25th. Today for Barbero’s birthday, a medievalist in his university career but omnivorous with regards to studies, publications and interests, the publishing house has decided to celebrate him The third who has published most of his works since 1994. That’s why she organized a tribute for him at Bari at the Laterza bookshop, in via Dante 49/53 this evening at 7pm, with a toast in front of his many volumes arranged in a special exhibition for the occasion. Barbero will participate remotely, greeting his readers, but whoever purchases his latest book “All’arme all’arme i priori fa carne” (Laterza; 176 pages; 18 euros) during the ceremony will then be able to participate in a reserved event (l the invitation will go to those who are among the top 50). To meet the professor in Bari you just have to wait for Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May: he will in fact be in the bookshop for the copy signing dedicated to readers (with invitation), because he is present in the city to introduce the performances of the opera “The Labyrinth of Creta” by maestro Nicola Piovani (he will in fact alternate with Pietrangelo Buttafuoco who will instead introduce the performances on Thursday 16th and Tuesday 21st May at 8.30pm). Barbero’s career is very long and begins with his university career in 1984 and then ends this year after exactly 40 years. He is a full professor of Medieval History at the University of Eastern Piedmont, but his passionate dissemination with the brilliant “History Lessons” online, with many other videos of his speeches, has gone around the world.
The Witch Prize
Not everyone remembers that Barbero won the Strega Prize in 1996 with the historical novel “Beautiful life and other people’s wars by Mr. Pyle, gentleman” set in the Napoleonic era, which opened his path as a novelist. “I wanted to give myself the luxury of imagining a story in the Napoleonic era, I was 35 years old – he explained – and even though I taught Medieval History, I still had the little boy inside me who loved the Battle of Waterloo. And the way to free myself from an obsession was to write.” The smiling professor who manages to communicate to everyone the time of Dante, but also of Caporetto, of Savoy etc., was born as a TV face in the infinite collaborations with Piero Angela in “Superquark”, but also with “aCdC” and “Pasto e presente” of Rai Storia. His publications of essays with Laterza exceed a dozen and range across historical eras, demonstrating his broad outlook across time. Today he is an intellectual protagonist of the contemporary Italian debate, a clear and free voice, generous with clarifications and knowledge accessible to all and necessary. “It seems disturbing to me that those in government struggle to call themselves anti-fascist, which means they are fascist” he explained in recent days, bringing in a few precise words the clarity that is missing from the contemporary debate, which has become slippery on these issues. His initial love for history emerges among the images of the memory of a child fascinated by childhood readings. “I had a passion for history straight away, when I learned to read – says Barbero – I read above all the Corriere dei Piccoli, a fundamental element in the education of generations of Italians, which was full of comics about great battles, great historical figures, narratives of the past.
In my grandmother’s house I then discovered the beautiful magazine Storia Illustrata, I noticed it for the first colored covers because everything was still in black and white. I remember well a cover with a Prussian helmet with the title ’50 years ago the First World War’: I grew up reading about great wars, great events in history, Napoleon, the American Civil War, Nazism and fascism etc… I was a I was a child who played with toy soldiers and made models of airplanes and tanks, so I was very passionate about these stories.” The discovery of the Middle Ages came later, becoming a choice of career field. Even for him at school, Medieval History was confused among many events, beyond the literary fascination with ladies, knights, tournaments, magicians and fires. “At the end of high school, thanks to a friend, I read ‘Feudal Society’ by March Bloch – explained the professor – and it was there that I was won over by the discovery of a world of non-hypocritical people, even if they were unscrupulous and sometimes violent. , but direct. In fact, Dante used the right words, where they were useful even if they were heavy, but true. He conquered me that time. And I decided to become a medievalist.”
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© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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