Discover the Magic of the 22nd International Literature Festival at the Palatine Stadium
Celebrate literature and art at the 22nd International Literature Festival, a dazzling showcase of Italian and international authors shaping contemporary literature. This year, the event will span across five enchanting evenings on July 3rd, 5th, 9th, 11th, and 13th.
Under the theme La memoria del mondo (The Memory of the World), the festival honors the 100th birthday of Italo Calvino, exploring the universe’s origin through modern narratives that delve into the timeless transmission of knowledge through literature.
The festival’s emblem for 2023, envisioned by illustrator Laura Riccioli, portrays a young woman gracefully stepping on the ruins of the Palatine, reaching towards the moon. This image encapsulates the finesse and aspiration toward the future that define writers.
The festival’s schedule, artfully curated by Simona Cives alongside the esteemed committee comprising Paolo Di Paolo, Melania Mazzucco, Davide Orecchio, Igiaba Scego, and Nadia Terranova, features captivating readings of unpublished works by international authors who creatively interpret the theme through ingenious wordplay, visual art, and music. Accompanying the readings are mesmerizing performances by circus artists and acrobats who breathe life into Calvino’s words with their imaginative acts.
The esteemed Biblioteche di Roma institution will host a prelude at the Casa delle Letterature, featuring five captivating events with international guests like Bernardine Evaristo, Ali Smith, Brenda Lozano, Melania Mazzucco, and Anna Maria Gehnyei.
Below, discover the mesmerizing program for the 2023 Festival delle Letterature.
IN THE SPIRIT OF LITERATURE
Unmissable Events in Rome This July
July 3
Luigi Lo Cascio presents The Memory of The World
Fernando Aramburu
Memoria del libro olvidado
Julie Otsuka
Yellow World
Jean-Baptiste Del Amo
Des cœurs battants
Giacomo Costantini / Circo El Grito
Mesmerizing acrobatic performance
July 5
Margaret Atwood
Impatient Griselda
Paolo Giordano
Turista per sempre
Valeria Luiselli
A veces, todavÍa, a través
Anton Monastyrsky
Acrohula hop
July 9
Strega Prize Winner
Jeanette Winterson
Measure of all things
Burhan Sönmez
The memory of the world
Katja Petrowskaja
Das Foto schaute mich an
Valeriya Davydenko
Captivating contortion act
July 11
Bernardo Zannoni
Lo specchio della mente
Sam Riviere
A True Account of Talking to Du Fu at Vesuvio’s
William T. Vollmann
Memories of the world
Paolo Locci / Brigata Totem
Stunning Chinese pole performance
July 13
David Diop
Michel Adanson et la mémoire du monde
Maaza Mengiste
La memoria del mondo
Nicola Lagioia
Liberi dalle catene
Barbara Fiorenza e Claudio Ladisa
Awe-inspiring aerial acrobatics
Don’t Miss Out! Mark Your Calendar for July 3, 5, 9, 11, and 13, 2023
Palatine Stadium, Archaeological Park of the Colosseum
Via di San Gregorio, 30
Doors open at 8:30 pm, with readings starting at 9 pm
Entry is free and no booking is required
