Doctor of Wanda Marasco triumphs in Phoenix competition
In the heart of Venice, at the prestigious Teatro La Fenice, the 63rd edition of the Campiello Prize, a literary award with deep roots and a spirit of constant evolution, celebrated its winner. This year, the honour went to Wanda Marasco for her novel "Di spalle a questo mondo," published by Neri Pozza.
The novel, a true story about Ferdinando Palasciano, a doctor who lived in Naples at the end of the 1800s and was institutionalized in a mental asylum for a year due to his delusions, received 86 votes from a popular jury of 300 readers, with 282 valid votes.
Marasco's work was only 3 votes behind Fabio Stassi's novel "Bebelplatz," published by Sellerio, which explores the destructive madness of the Nazis through the book burnings in Germany in the 1930s. Stassi and Maria Volpi, another Italian writer, were added to the blacklist due to their antimperialist and feminist writings respectively in Stassi's novel "Bebelplatz."
Meanwhile, Monica Pariani's collection of short stories "Inverness," published by Polidoro, came in third with 58 votes. Pariani's work, which uses the title city as a metaphor for winter and the inner winter that unites many of the stories, centres around human relationships, from friendship to love, and the unusual geometries of love and the desire to be seen and chosen.
The Campiello Prize is a testament to the commitment of Venetian industrialists towards culture, a form of return and gesture that is not taken for granted. This year, the award has made a significant step forward by incorporating descriptions from BookTokers, a term for individuals who talk about books on TikTok, acknowledging young people and their influence in the literary world.
Alberto Prunetti's novel "Troncamacchioni," published by Feltrinelli, focuses on historical facts from the rebellious Maremma region of the first half of the 1900s, including young people deserting during World War I and men who opposed Fascism. Prunetti's work tells the story of the losers in history, emphasizing the voices of those who don't have words, such as refugees from Gaza.
Marco Belpoliti's book "Nord Nord," published by Einaudi, centres around personal memories, encounters, and places, and alternates the story of some protagonists of the cultural world with the story of particular details like ladybug nests. Belpoliti's work emphasizes the importance of being surprised by small things.
The Campiello Prize is a platform that honours Italian literature and its diverse voices. This year, it has once again proven its relevance and impact, shining a light on the works of Wanda Marasco, Fabio Stassi, Monica Pariani, Alberto Prunetti, and Marco Belpoliti.
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