Literature takes the stage, and travel becomes a cultural experience. This is the exciting new feature of the 18th edition of the DH Lawrence Travel Literature Festival, promoted by the XVIII Lawrence Festival Organizing Committee, chaired by Mandas Mayor Umberto Oppus and delegate Francesco Lallai, along with the Municipality, the Pro Loco Tourist Board, and, in collaboration with the CartaBianca cultural association. The program, still being finalized, will run from September 25th to October 4th and aims to transform Mandas, a historic railway hub in the Trexenta region, into a grand stage dedicated to books, memory, history, and the region.
New to this edition is the collaboration with Arst, which will bring literary encounters directly onto the trains. Authors and audiences will be the protagonists of presentations and conversations on the move, using the historic Bauchiero carriage, the Littorinas, the modern Stadlers, and the entire Mandas Railway Park as backdrops. This is an original way to connect the pleasure of reading with the allure of travel and the town's railway history. For now, only a few key events have been announced, previewing a program that will expand in the coming weeks. It all begins on Friday, September 25th, at 5:00 PM, at the train station, aboard the Littorina, with In viaggio verso la sensibilizzazione. The festival's opening will be dedicated to a highly topical and highly valuable human issue: autism. The event will focus on H&J by Paolo Montaldo, published by Edizioni La Zattera. Tiziana Scotto will be in conversation with the author. A socially responsible start, therefore, consistent with the festival's vision of using literature as a tool to share experiences and worlds that are often little-known.
And, as is Lawrence tradition, there will also be a major day dedicated to the history and value of identity. The event is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st, at 5:00 p.m., at the train station, aboard the historic 1913 Bauchiero carriage. The guest will be Gianluca Scroccu, professor of contemporary history and author of numerous studies on Italian political history, who will present the book "Sandro Pertini," published by Salerno Editrice. The former President of the Republic is a particularly significant figure for reflecting on the relationship between memory, identity, and the country's history. Scroccu's presence is also part of a broader study already underway in Sardinia. The professor will be the keynote speaker at the opening of the 9th edition of the Stràngius Festival in Serramanna, on Thursday, September 3rd, with a presentation dedicated to Sandro Pertini. In Mandas, however, the story of the Partisan President will take on a unique setting: that of an early twentieth-century train carriage, a symbolic place that evokes the journey, memory, and transformations of Italian society.
These are just the first steps in a broader program that, over the ten days of the festival, will bring various cultural figures to Mandas, making the railway not just a backdrop, but a true narrative key. Lawrence's journey serves as a metaphor for understanding Sardinia, its history, and the world of literature.