Matteo Nucci (fiction) and Isabella Leardini (poetry) have won the forty-first edition of the Giuseppe Dessì Literary Prize. Their names were announced this evening in Villacidro, during the closing ceremony of the competition named after the author of " Paese d'ombre."
The evening's theme, "Making memory a starting point," was explained at the opening by Debora Aru, president of the Dessì Foundation. The goal is to learn to recognize that "our roots don't hold us back, but rather give us the strength to look far ahead."
Nucci won the award with " Plato - A Love Story," published by Feltrinelli. He was joined in the finals by Luigi Nacci, author of " Il tempo dei semplici" (Einaudi), and Romana Petri, with " Distanza di sicurezza" (Neri Pozza). "Plato talks about eros, but he's also closely tied to another idea: filia, friendship. You have to do things with friends, and I'm happy to be here with a writer friend like Luigi Nacci," said Matteo Nucci, thanking the jury and the audience for the award.
For poetry, the award went to Isabella Leardini for Maniere nere (Mondadori), who preceded Federico Italiano, author of " Godzilla and Other Poems" (Guanda), and Alfredo Panetta, with " 'Ndrangheta" (Passigli Editori). "The title," poet Giuseppe Langella explained in his jury's explanation, "refers to a refined engraving technique. The work is achieved through the partial subtraction of obscurity, a metaphor for understanding and practicing poetry."
The six finalists reached the final evening after a selection process from hundreds of entries. The jury was led by academic Anna Dolfi, a scholar of Dessì's work, and was joined by university professors Duilio Caocci, Gino Ruozzi, and Nicola Turi; poet and critic Giuseppe Langella; journalist and writer Francesca Sforza; linguist and writer Francesca Serafini; novelist and librarian Fabio Stassi; and a representative of the Dessì Foundation.
The two winners will receive a prize of five thousand euros and entry into the Dessì roll of honor, which over the years has welcomed writers such as Salvatore Mannuzzu, Maria Corti, Marcello Fois, Giulio Angioni, Michela Murgia, and Niccolò Ammaniti, as well as poets such as Alda Merini, Patrizia Cavalli, Maria Grazia Calandrone, and Valerio Magrelli.
During the evening, hosted by actress Chiara Buratti and accompanied by extraordinary musical performances by singer-songwriter Erica Mou, three special prizes were also awarded: the Jury Special Prize went to jurist and activist Rosa Oliva, who appeared moved on stage, and the Fondazione di Sardegna Special Prize to Alessandro Cattelan. The newly established Provincial of Medio Campidano Special Prize, awarded to figures committed to environmental protection and enhancement, was awarded to Licia Colò.