It's a journey that begins once again from Mandas station, where literature, memory, and landscape seem to find their natural meeting point. The 18th edition of the DH Lawrence International Travel Literature Festival, a well-established event in the island's cultural calendar, began yesterday, Friday, September 25th. This year's theme is "Identity and Future, Between History and Current Events." In the name of the British writer, the festival once again questions the meaning of travel as an opportunity for learning, remembering, and engaging.
The opening day, titled "On the Road to Awareness," was dedicated to health and solidarity . The day was introduced by the mayor of Mandas, Umberto Oppus, who read a prose text intended to serve as the opening and key to the event. The program centered on the book "H&J" by Paolo Montaldo, the story of Henry, a child with autism, presented with the participation of Tiziana Scotto. This meeting brought the festival to the forefront of inclusion and awareness. From individual fragility to a battle that concerns the entire community, with "The Gentle Revolution: Towards the Leadership of Kindness" by Ugo Cappellacci, in conversation with Riccardo Trentin, president of the Sardinian Diabetes Network. Here too, culture became a concrete instrument of solidarity: proceeds from the sale of copies will be donated to type 1 diabetes research.
The festival is now in full swing with a program that combines literature, history, politics, cinema, journalism, and Sardinian traditions. But especially tomorrow, Sunday, September 27, the festival returns to one of its iconic locations: the Trenino Verde. Aboard the historic train that captivated Lawrence, the audience will depart at 9:00 a.m. from Mandas for Laconi, aboard the 1913 Bauchiero Carriage. At 10:30 a.m., "In the Blue of My Stories – Grazia Deledda Tells Herself" by Monica Tronci Pau will be presented. At 11:30 a.m., the panel discussion "DH Lawrence meets Grazia Deledda," with Sandro Dessì, will bring together two great literary perspectives on Sardinia.
The theme changes again on Monday, September 28th, with a day dedicated to women and violence featuring writers Claudia Sarritzu and Jenny Carboni. The event will also feature a musical dimension, with the world premiere of the song "Il tempo muto," performed by Susanna Congiu. Tuesday, September 29th, aboard the 1913 Bauchiero Carriage, will feature performances of Fausto Orrù's "I guardiani di Nurakea" and Umberto Oppus's "I paesi del Ducato di Mandas," with Enrico Trogu, director of the Cagliari State Archives. On Wednesday, September 30th, the program returns to current affairs and sensitivity with Davide Piras' "Femmenella" and Tore Quartu's "Innocenza in catene."
Thursday, October 1st, will be Identity Day, with the presentation of the book dedicated to Sandro Pertini by Gianluca Scroccu. Cinema will also be a major focus, with a screening of Disamistade by director Gianfranco Cabiddu. On October 2nd, the festival will explore the relationship between grandparents, memory, and the future. October 3rd will be a day suspended between past and future. Angelo Melis, Paolo Pezzuoli, and Roberto Muller will discuss engines, with an introductory greeting from Roberto Giacobbo. This will be followed by a presentation, aboard the trains, of Lotta Amata by Emanuele Cioglia, with the participation of Germano Orrù, Vincenzo Soddu, and Dario Cosseddu, who will accompany attendees on a journey of discovery of the novel, set primarily in Cagliari in 1980, during the dramatic years of terrorism and social unrest. Inspired by a true story that occurred in Piazza Matteotti, the book interweaves memory, history, and personal experiences, capturing the uneasy climate of a Sardinia rife with the ideologies and conflicts of the Years of Lead.
