we receive
Born in Genoa and raised in Rapallo, Luisella Mazza with the novel Bum Bum Bum (Fazi Editore) wins the 24th edition of the Massimo Troisi Award for Best Comic Writing. “A funny and moving story, light and complex, enthralling and universal” – Wired. “A sparkling, funny debut, but also profound and at times melancholic” – la Repubblica
Luisella Mazza’s debut novel, “Bum Bum Bum”, published by Fazi Editore in the “Le Meraviglie” series, won the Award for Best Comic Writing (published work category) in the 24th edition of the Massimo Troisi Award – Osservatorio sulla comedy.This year the Award is dedicated to a special anniversary: the thirty years of the film “Il Postino”, Troisi’s latest masterpiece. The awards ceremony took place at the Villa Bruno Park in San Giorgio a Cremano, Troisi’s hometown. During the final gala, hosted by Tiberio Timperi, in addition to the awarding of the trophies, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Leo Gullotta, and guests such as Teresa De Sio, Cinzia Leone and Maurizio Mattioli spoke.
“I hope that this novel will make readers laugh and reflect with the irony, lightness and humanity of its characters and their adventures, both common and special. It’s an honor to think that, who knows, maybe Bum Bum Bum would have made even Massimo Troisi smile and move,” declared Luisella Mazza.
The author thus introduces us to the winning novel, “Bum Bum Bum”: “It is a story about the need to listen to what our heart suggests to us – especially when we feel lost”. This is what happens to Oscar, a tango master who arrived in Genoa in the early 2000s. Abandoned by his partner, without a job and penniless, he begins to be haunted by a mysterious and ridiculous inner voice – the “voice of the heart”. Until one day the heartbeat becomes stronger, the voice becomes more insistent, and it will be an unexpected event that will make Oscar understand how to find his chance for redemption, in life and in love. Oscar’s voice, apparently naive, very personal, tells us the bittersweet comedy of which we see him as the protagonist, through the economic difficulties, the Genoa of the early 2000s, and the innocence – at least in memories – of life immediately before the advent of social media.
Born in 1996, the Massimo Troisi Award has become a point of reference for young artists and comic authors. Starting from the 22nd Edition, the artistic direction of the Troisi Prize is by Gino Rivieccio. Over the years the Award has also grown as a great event on comedy and culture, hosting both some of the most important Italian directors and actors, and national protagonists of culture, theater and music. This year’s program paid homage, among others, to Oscar winner Nicola Piovani with the presentation of the show “Notes on the margin”, a musical story presented by Piovani at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003 with the title of “Leçon concert” .
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The author
Luisella Mazza was born in Genoa in 1982 and lives in London, after a period in Barcelona and Dublin. Graduated in Foreign Languages at the University of Bologna and in Computing (Technological University Dublin), she has worked at Google since 2005, specializing in the use of technology at the service of culture, in the quality of information and, more recently, in Open programs Source. In 2023 she was appointed Ambassador of Genoa to the World. She cultivates a passion for art and cultural diversity, developed over years of work and international travel, particularly the United States, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
