TSpring time, Strega Prize time. The dozen finalist books were announced this morning in Rome, at the majestic temple of Vibia Sabina and Hadrian. We officially enter the heart of this edition of the prestigious literary prize, an edition with a round number, eighty, almost a lifetime, as stated in the claim of the Award which pays homage to the book of the same name by Corrado Alvaro, winner in 1951. The most followed and richest in tradition literary competition represents a constant in Italian culture and a compass capable of orienting the taste of readers, while tracing an ideal map of its evolution. This year’s candidate books were chosen from a list of 79, not an easy choice but one that ensures a very high level of quality, as underlined by the members of the steering committee present.
The twelve finalist books
The key element of this edition is the return to the novel to the detriment of autofiction and family memories, which have experienced a successful season in recent years. The novels in competition can be defined as historical, albeit with some exceptions. Often the character of the writer is a witness to the times and collective events that distinguish him, or struggling with the crisis of inspiration and the publishing market. Here is the list of the twelve semi-finalist books:
The reverse rose by Maria Attanasio (Sellerio)
Story of a friendship by Ermanno Cavazzoni (Quodlibet)
Woman queen by Teresa Ciabatti (Mondadori)
Lina and the stone by Mauro Covacich (The ship of Theseus)
The stone guests by Michele Mari (Einaudi)
Plato. A love story by Matteo Nucci (Feltrinelli)
The lopsidedness of Alcide Pierantozzi (Einaudi)
Bianca Pitzorno’s sleepwalker (Bompiani)
The invention of color by Christian Raimo (The ship of Theseus)
Camus’ Widows by Elena Rui (The footprint)
Dirty Water by Nadeesha Uyangoda (Einaudi)
Child’s eyes by Marco Vichi (Guanda)
From left: the Director of the Bellonci Foundation Stefano Petrocchi, Serena Morgagni of BPER, the President of the Bellonci Foundation Giovanni Solimine, the councilor for culture Massimiliano Smeriglio, the writer Melania G. Mazzucco and the President of Strega Alberti Giuseppe D’Avino. (MUSE)
The five finalists for the European Witch Prize
The five finalist books for the European Strega Prize were also announced. Born in 2014 on the occasion of the Italian presidency of the Council of the EU, the award aims to pay homage to the culture of the old continent and its ties with Italy. These are the titles of the five finalist books:
The night in the heart of Nathacha Appanah (Einaudi)
The call. Story of an Argentine woman (Sur)
Enter the ghost of Isabella Hammad (Marsilio)
In real time by Tonio Schachinger (Sellerio)
Stranger by Yael Van Der Vouden (Garzanti)
The Strega Prize and women
The first woman to win the Strega was Elsa Morante. With L’isola di Arturo (Einaudi) he obtained 155 votes and placed in first place, with a gap of 80 votes compared to Orio Vergani, who ranked in second place. The last in chronological order was Donatella Di Pietrantonio, who made the 2024 edition her own with L’età fragili (Einaudi), the book inspired by the Majella femicide, winner of the Strega Prize and the Strega Giovani Prize.
There are thirteen female writers in total who have won this important recognition since 1947, the year of her birth, a number that very partially reflects the literary talent of Italian writers, although for some of them the victory determined a turning point in their careers. Other winners were meteors in the history of the Strega, but all of them, without distinction, were able to best describe the change in the role of women in society and in the family.
An award in the name of rebirth
On 11 June 1944, a week after the entry of American troops into Rome, the first meeting of that group of intellectuals who would later be called “Friends of Sunday” was held. These meetings and the spirit that distinguishes them are one of the first signs of the rebirth of Rome and the desire for a resumption of Italian cultural life. Shortly thereafter, the idea developed among these friends of creating a literary prize different from all the others, with “a vast and democratic jury”.
Maria Bellonci in a vintage photo. Courtesy: prizestrega.it
Guido Alberti, one of the regular attendees of the meetings and belonging to the family of entrepreneurs who own the company producing the Strega liqueur, enthusiastically agreed to Maria and Goffredo Bellonci’s proposal. The award is the result of that climate of friendship and the fervor of those years aimed at the reconstruction of an Italy that emerged from the war, ideals that still permeate it. Many symbolic moments dot its history which is intertwined with that of Italian society, starting from the years of its birth which coincide with the proclamation of the Republic and the start of the Constituent Assembly.
Artist’s witches with a prophetic aftertaste
The most magical literary prize, which celebrates culture in all its forms, could not fail to celebrate the union between art and literature. Thus was born the “Streghe d’autore” project, launched in 2016 on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the Prize. Since then, notable Italian illustrators and artists have interpreted the poster annually. This year it is Marco Oggian’s turn, whose idea revolves around dualism and the connection between literature and the witch.
The poster of the eightieth edition of the Premio Strega by Marco Oggian. Courtesy photo of the Prize press office.
But it doesn’t end here: it seems that the image depicted in the author’s witches predicts the winner or the victor. The poster of 2017, for example, the year in which he won The eight mountains by Cognetti, depicts a witch on top of a mountain of books. The author’s witch of 2019, the year of the victory of M by Scurati, the witch’s wings draw an M. In 2020, the year in which Veronesi won with The Hummingbirdon the poster appears a witch covered in black bird feathers. Now, there is only one question: which book is hidden behind Oggian’s manifesto?
Towards the semi-final and final
The race to victory has officially begun. The winning book of the Strega Giovani Prize will be announced on May 27th in Genoa. From the dozen announced today, the five finalists will be chosen and will be announced on 3 June, during the Rai live broadcast from the Roman Theater of Benevento. The final phase culminates with the voting for the overall winner on the evening of July 8th. This edition heralds a great celebration of fiction, enriched by collateral events. And for the occasion there will be a grandiose change of scenography: the splendid Renaissance complex of Villa Giulia gives way to the monumental Piazza del Campidoglio, to seal the profound bond of the Prize with the Capital.
