World-renowned Italian authors will be heading to Boston this weekend to showcase their latest literary work at the Multipli Forti - Italian Literary Festival. On April 28th and 29th, seven contemporary authors will present their latest texts and discuss themes that are dear to Italian and American audiences.
The event is supported by the Consulate General of Italy in Boston, along with I AM BOOKS, and Friends of the Italian Cultural Center of Boston. The initiative behind this event is to attract a wide audience and bridge the gap between the Italian and American publishing worlds. The first Italian Literary Festival kicked off in June 2022 with the hope to become an annual event. The goal of the founding members of the festival is to bring the Italian and American literary communities together and debunk cultural stereotypes.
Each edition of the festival has a different theme. This year, it is focusing on the main trends in contemporary Italian fiction while presenting to an American audience. The themes are constructed by the observations of writers and readers, based on the style of the content and the narratives that are driven in the texts. During the event, there are healthy debates between readers and authors, sparking deeper conversations about literature. The reactions to the short stories, literary memoirs and meditations, and essays help inspire future themes.
On April 28th, The Bridge Literary Prize will be awarded for new work in both fiction and nonfiction coming out of Italy and America. The award is a mechanism to unite Italian and American cultures and strengthen mutual understanding through writing. Ten books from each country are selected - 5 fiction and 5 non-fiction. The books must be written in the past year. The award covers the cost of translation in the opposite language and all prize winners will receive a $1,000 cash prize.
The Italian Literary Festival in Boston will feature seven writers throughout the weekend:
Friday, April 28th
Note: this session will be held in Italian
Saturday, April 29th
The first half of the day will begin with a conversation in English, moderated by Andrea Malaguti of UMass Amherst. This event is being held in the Boston Public Library at Copley Square.
The latter half of the event will move to the Chilton Club and feature:
AJ Forrisi
Assistant Editor for America Domani, AJ Forrisi is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer. His work focuses on food, travel, sports, landscapes, and urban scenes. You can find him on Instagram @aj.photo.works.