Four Days of Literary Festivities: Festival degli Scrittori

The first and only literary festival of Florence, the Festival degli Scrittori, will sweep through the city between June 14 and 17. The cornerstone event is the Gregor von Rezzori – City of Florence Prize, awarding the best work of foreign fiction published in Italy within the last year. Also included is a prize in honor of the best translator, and the Gregor von Rezzori Young Readers Award, a prize decided through the critique of 100 high school students in Florence. The Festival degli Scrittori was born from the Santa Maddalena Foundation chaired by Beatrice Monti della Corte, the wife of Gregor von Rezzori.

The Festival degli Scrittori was established by the Santa Maddalena Foundation, which grants residencies to writers, and is chaired by Beatrice Monti della Corte, the wife of the late author Gregor von Rezzori.

Wednesday, June 14

The festivities begin at the Odeon with a special reading of La valigia vuota/The Empty Suitcase. Actors Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Luigi Lo Cascio (respectively Best Actress for La Pazza Gioia and Best Actor for 100 Passi) will take the stage alongside international writers such as Zadie Smith (Orange Prize), Atiq Rahimi (Concourt Award) and the recent Pulitzer Prize winner Hisham Matar. Together they will share tales enveloped by the long history of migrants over the centuries. The event starts at 9 pm; admission €10. Part of the proceeds will go to a boy’s writing school.

Thursday, June 15

The morning introduces a Premio Gregor von Rezzori finalist during the first “A Coffee with the Author” event: Clemens Meyer at Le Murate Caffè (piazza delle Murate, 11 am).  He became internationally recognized for his debut work Als wir träumten (As We Were Dreaming), published in 2006; it received the Rheingau Literatur Preis and has been adapted into a feature film. Meyer’s 2013 novel Im Stein (Bricks and Mortar) was included in the long list for the International Man Booker Prize. As We Were Dreaming marks the first time his work has received an Italian translation.

At noon, Libreria Brac (via dei Vagellai 18) will host “A Coffee with Laszlo Krasznahorkai,” finalist for Satantango. Krasznahorkai is considered one of the most important living Hungarian writers; his style has been compared to Kafka and Beckett.  He won the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Back to back conversations will take place at the balcony of Palazzo Strozzi, starting with On the Roots of Violence with Edouard Louis, Edmund White, and Simona Baldanzi, followed by When We Were Dreaming with Clemens Meyer, Paolo Giordano and Volker Schlöndorff. These events begin at 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm, respectively.

Thursday night concludes with a keynote speech, presented by a renowned international writer on a subject relevant to them. This year that honor is given to Dany Laferrière, who will be presenting The Art of the Chronicle at 7 pm in the Refectory of Santa Croce.

Friday, June 16

The only “coffee” event on Friday will be held at the Libreria Sit’N’ breakfast (via San Gallo 21/R) at 11 am with Edouard Louis, finalist for The Story of Violence. In recounting the story of his rape and attempted murder on Christmas Eve of 2012, the autobiographical novel centers on the cyclical and self-perpetuating nature of violence in society.

Following is a block of conversations similar to the prior day. All take place at Palazzo Strozzi: the topics include Apocalypse Noir, The Haunted Latin America, and Orient Compass of the World. These will occur hourly beginning at 4:30 pm.

Saturday, June 17

The final day of the Festival will announce the winner for the Best Work of Foreign Fiction, as well as the winner of the Gregor von Rezzori Young Readers Award. Do not miss a talk with Anna D’Elia, winner of the Premio Gregor von Rezzori for Translation, at Palazzo Strozzi at 5 pm. A screening of Return to Montauk, a film by Volker Schöndorff, scheduled at the Teatro della Compagnia at 9 pm to conclude the evening.

Before the announcement, two more appointments will take place. First, at 11 am in Libreria Todo Modo (via dei Fossi 15R) is “A Coffee with Mathias Enard,” finalist for Compass. Mathias Enard was born in 1972 in Niort, near Bordeaux. He studied Persian and Arabic at L’Ecole du Louvre and spent long periods in the Middle East before moving to Barcelona. Enard has won a number of notable prizes, such as the Prix du Livre Inter and the Prix Décembre for Zone.  

Immediately following at the Libreria La Cité (Borgo San Frediano, 20/R) is “A Coffee with Mexican writer Valeria Luiselli,” finalist for The Story of My Teeth. She has been named as one of the 20 best Mexican authors under 40.

While the Festival is in town, be sure to keep an eye out for the Festival degli Scrittori gazebo, located in Piazza Strozzi. Here you can find information for the dates and places of the Festival and books for sale from all of the authors. The writers may even be present to sign copies.  (carson cecil)