The Palatine Stadium will host the 22nd edition of one of the most beloved summer cultural festivals in the Capital
Celebrating its 22nd year, the International Literature Festival will bring together esteemed Italian and international authors who have made significant contributions to contemporary literature. This year’s event will span over five evenings: July 3rd, 5th, 9th, 11th, and 13th.
Entitled La memoria del mondo (The Memory of the World), the festival pays tribute to Italo Calvino, commemorating his 100th birthday. The theme explores the origin of the universe through contemporary narratives, reflecting on the transmission of knowledge and literature.
The festival’s symbol for the 2023 edition, designed by illustrator Laura Riccioli, depicts a young woman delicately tiptoeing on the ruins of the Palatine, reaching up and almost touching the moon. This image embodies the lightness and aspiration towards the future that are characteristic of writers.
The program, curated by Simona Cives, head of the Casa delle Letterature, benefits from the expertise of a distinguished committee, including Paolo Di Paolo, Melania Mazzucco, Davide Orecchio, Igiaba Scego, and Nadia Terranova. The evening format includes readings of unpublished literary works, in which international authors will creatively interpret the festival’s theme through a captivating blend of words, images, and sounds. Accompanying the readings are contemporary circus artists and acrobats who will bring Calvino’s words to life through their imaginative performances.
The Biblioteche di Roma institution will also host a preview at the Casa delle Letterature, featuring five events with international guests: Bernardine Evaristo on June 8th, Ali Smith on June 9th, Brenda Lozano on June 13th, the finalist meeting for the 2023 Strega Prize with Melania Mazzucco on June 16th, and Anna Maria Gehnyei on June 22nd.
Below is the program for the 2023 Festival delle Letterature.
INSPIRATION
Best Events In July In Rome
July 3
Luigi Lo Cascio reads 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
Performance of Argentine boleadoras and acrobats
July 5
Margaret Atwood
Impatient Griselda
Paolo Giordano
Turista per sempre
Valeria Luiselli
A veces, todavÍa, a través
Anton Monastyrsky
Acrohula hop
July 9
Vincitrice/Vincitore Premio Strega
Jeanette Winterson
Measure of all things
Burhan Sönmez
The memory of the world
Katja Petrowskaja
Das Foto schaute mich an
Valeriya Davydenko
Contortion
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
Chinese Pole
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
Aerial acrobatics
3, 5, 9, 11, 13 July 2023
Stadio Palatino, Parco Archeologico del Colosseo
Via di San Gregorio, 30
Entry at 8.30pm, readings start at 9pm
Free Entry
No booking required
