A historic edition between civil rights, international icons and great contemporary voices in the heart of the city of Gonzaga
Thirty years of the Festival are not a simple milestone, but the manifesto of a community that has chosen not to adapt to the periphery of the globalized world, instead becoming the center of thought. At the end of the nineties, before the tourist explosion linked to the Literature Festival transformed it into a collective phenomenon, Mantua was still a secluded gem, defined by many intellectuals, poets and architects as Sleeping Beauty. The silent legacy of the Gonzagas, together with that suspended atmosphere that Luca Goldoni recounted in memorable pages and the Po Valley melancholy evoked by Gianni Brera, made Mantua a privileged place of inspiration and, sometimes, of work. A hospitable and welcoming microcosm, capable of combining organization and intellectual liveliness: therefore, an ideal place. The Festival was born in 1997, when a group of eight private citizens of Mantua, who went down in local history as the Magnificent Eightformed the first Organizing Committee, also stimulated by a survey commissioned in 1995 by the Lombardy Region to the English Comedia agency to relaunch local tourism. Their commitment then developed through a simpler scenographic relationship in harmony with the architectural nature of the places. The vocation of the Festival is therefore strongly linked to the use of natural spaces and the internal environments of historical places, finding its own original and defined connotation, focused on new expressive languages, emerging creativity and dialogue with other cultures, without neglecting the link with the territory. Thus, in the program of the 30th edition, Italian and foreign masters of thought, great narrators and emerging talents alternate: Tommy Wieringa returns, who will discuss origins and identity with Niccolò Porcelluzzi (Friday 11 September); Emmanuel Carrère will be there, fresh from the release of his latest novel for Adelphi, Kolkhoz. Gisèle Pelicot will give voice to civil commitment and poetry, one of the most anticipated presences, who has become a global symbol of the fight against gender violence and rape culture. He will be on stage together with Gino Cecchettin to continue his intense awareness-raising activity against violence against women and patriarchy (Sunday 13 September, 2.30 pm). Eyal Weizman, architect and founder of the investigative collective, will also be there Forensic Architectureto show how advanced space technologies and surveys can be used to denounce state crimes and human rights violations (Sunday 13 September, 10.00 am). And Sarah Lubala, award-winning Congolese poet, known for her intense verses, focused on the themes of migration, uprooting and the experiences of refugee women (Wednesday 9 September). The Festival also confirms itself as an authoritative observatory on the new contemporary scene, hosting Mavie Da Ponte and Olga Campofreda, who will dialogue with an established writer like Nadia Terranova in a polyphonic and intergenerational discussion on the confines of the home and narrative worlds (Thursday 7 September). Natasha Brown, a British writer acclaimed by international critics, will present her literary vision, focused on the deconstruction of class and race dynamics (Friday 11 September). Finally, Kim Bo-young, one of the most relevant authors of South Korean science fiction and speculative fiction, will bring new genre perspectives and innovative languages to the Festival (Sunday 13 September). The true beating heart of the Festival develops around a concept that is both physical and ideal. From a logistical point of view, the nerve center is Piazza Sordello, which for this edition formally takes the name of Piazza dei Libri and hosts the Tent of Bookswhile the beating heart of the events will be Piazza Castello, home to major meetings, and Piazza Alberti, the center of projects dedicated to young people and narrative journalism. A unique formula that allows great Nobel Prize winners and passionate readers to meet, have a coffee and talk without barriers in the historic alleys of Mantua.
