World Book Day: 50 years of “Rebirth” (and 5 books to read)

THEn a gray world where the cultural heritage that bookstores represent seems to have been forgotten there is a place that, born almost by bet, he just turned 50. The place in question is the Rinascita bookshop in Ascoli Picenoa bookshop and cultural center of a city which, as Manganelli said, “is not even certain that it exists”.

As much as I admire the great writer, I can assure you that Ascoli exists and the Rebirth exists and persists. Founded in a basement in 1976 by a group of very idealistic university students and guided over time by the owner Giorgio Pignotti, a visionary bookseller and at the same time astute in the analysis of the publishing world, complex and constantly changing, it has bravely crossed the decades and arrived, on 27 March, to blow out its 50 candles.

It is a sui generis libraryimmediately dedicated to acting as a cultural hub, a place for meeting and discussing ideas and stories. Our history is a bit the history of Italy. If in the 70s political struggles saw us as targets (and not only in a figurative sense), over time we have become a point of reference for our territory which considers us a kind of second place.

Since 2001 we have been based in one of the most beautiful buildings in the citya former silkworm factory, and, with large and welcoming spaces, we have strengthened our role as a meeting point with a café and a conference room, three of the most used in the city.

We promote reading, we hold events, presentations, we bring books to the center with projects for children, we collaborate with associations and institutions. Our mantra is we are a reading community. The certainty that our future can also be found thanks to the pages we read it’s what drives us to open our doors and hearts to our readers every morning. Rinascita is a lady with a long memory, many battles and still a great desire to tell stories and grow her love for reading. I tell you this story with the emotion of someone who learned to read here and now recommends books.

I’m Eleonora, proud bookseller of this magical place, maybe you already know me because I have the honor of being part of the jury of the Io donna award. If you happen to pass through our beautiful city, stop by us, it will be an opportunity to discover our catalog together where we always try to make each book meet its reader (yes, because at least in my opinion they are the books that call us, that always know when we need them).

In this regard, I would like to close these few lines dedicated to my “home” with a small list of readings that we would like to recommend to you. A way to wish ourselves a good spring and a good summer.

5 books for World Book Day

April 23rd is World Book and Reading Day and this date was not chosen by chance. This is the birth date of William Shakespeare and St. George’s Day. On this day we give roses to all readers. Because books are a way to make our mind flourish. So here are five “paper” flowers that I hope will enchant and pamper you.

“The wedding between Cadmus and Harmony” by Roberto Calasso and “Invisible cities” by Italo Calvino

I’ll start with two classics that couldn’t be more classic. Because they are our memory and what we return to especially in stormy times. I call comfort books the ones you never get tired of rereading. For me they are “The wedding between Cadmus and Harmony” by Roberto Calasso and “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino.

Two very different books that however have power. Always speak in the present tense. In ancient myths as in the countries imagined by Marco Polo for the Khan we can read all the anxieties and questions that we experience in our time. Good and evil, the search for meaning, the way we build our sociality. Infinite and inexhaustible questions.

“What We Can Know” by Ian McEwan

If these are the books that will last forever, however, there are some recent releases that have enchanted us and which I think will also give emotions and joy to all readers. The first is Ian McEwan’s latest beautiful novel, “What we can know“. A post-apocalyptic future where the search for a lost book-poem becomes a profound reflection on the relationship between past and present and between reality and fiction. Beautiful, exciting and also with a great twist!

“Life is short, the world is strange” by Toby Ferris

The second is a particular book by Toby Ferris. The author is known for his series of online essays Anatomy of norbitions where he analyzes the suburban world through Renaissance art. His book “Life is short, the world is strange“. Toby sets off on a journey that is a pilgrimage and which becomes a powerful reflection on the cycle of life. Through a long and complex itinerary to encounter all the works of Bruegel the Elder scattered throughout the world’s museums, the author learns to make peace with the passing of time, with the death of his father and to discover the serene maturity necessary to become a father himself. Beautiful and profound, at times exhilarating and full of walks through the most beautiful art rooms.

“A sunny place for shady people” by Mariana Enriquez

I close with a very beautiful book, a tribute to the saving power of poetry. I conclude with a collection of short stories by Mariana Enriquez. The author, one of the most beloved in the Spanish language, tells us about violent Argentina and the contradictions of the contemporary world through a kaleidoscope of stories where anxieties and fears take on a gothic and disturbing appearance. If you loved Shirley JacksonBorges’ labyrinths and the nightmares of the master Stephen King the collection “A sunny place for shady people“is for you. I hope you always have a book in your pocket, it will be like always carrying a garden with you.

Rinascita bookshop in Ascoli Piceno

Rinascita bookshop in Ascoli Piceno. Founded in 1976, it is the cultural reference point for the city and the center of initiatives and projects dedicated to the development of reading. After the first 25 years of activity, the bookshop moved in 2001 a stone’s throw from the iconic Piazza del Popolo, to an elegant Art Nouveau building, a former silkworm factory, where it houses a literary café and a large conference room.

Rebirth, with a staff of expert booksellers attentive to the needs of readers is careful to capture and bring the richness of contemporary debate to the city of Ascoli Piceno, through events, presentations and numerous projects. This action of continuous connection with the community has led us over time to systematize our commitment through the establishment of an association whose vision and mission sees the creation of reading communities.

Furthermore, since the 90s, we have developed one of the management software for bookstores, the MacBOOK management software, which allows us to compare and grow together with many other Italian bookstores of all sizes and targets. Following the idea of ​​a bookshop as a space for the expression of local creativity, we have activated a publishing house, the Free yourself.

Over time we have managed to build a calendar of activities capable of move the bookshop beyond the “book shop” towards the concept of “cultural and social hub, reading community”.