ICI London is pleased to continue the “The Italian Library”, an initiative in collaboration with Ornella Tarantola and our library, The Montale Library. A series of evenings where we talk about books, with and by Italian writers, covering topics from Sanremo to horoscopes, from Gadda to podcasts, from Virginia Woolf to Artificial Intelligence.
Nineteenth Event:
4 December
6:30 pm
At the Montale Library (ICI London)
Celebrating Pier Vittorio Tondelli
A young man, flying through the golden skies over Europe at sunset, catches his reflection in the window and sees the face of a lonely, recently widowed man.
This is the poignant beginning of Separate Rooms, the final novel by Pier Vittorio Tondelli, published in the late 1980s just before the young author’s passing. A novel cherished by generations of readers, Separate Rooms marked a decade and beyond for Italian literature. Notably, Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film will be an adaptation of this very work.
Author Marco Mancassola, along with readings by Olga Campofreda and Marco Gambino, will explore the melancholic beauty and vibrant depth of this novel, its pages dedicated to Eros and the sacred, London’s nightclubs, and Italy’s provinces. Tondelli’s work revitalized Italian literature, and readers remain forever grateful for the legacy he left in these pages.
Event in Italian and in person only.
Book HERE
Marco Mancassola is an Italian writer. His books include the narrative essay Last Love Parade, re-released in various editions over the years (the latest by Il Saggiatore in 2023), the short stories Non saremo confusi per sempre (Einaudi 2011 and La Nave di Teseo 2017), and the novel Gli amici del deserto (Feltrinelli 2013). He also created the podcast The Rave Party for Chora Media. Mancassola founded and was the first director of FILL–Festival of Italian Literature in London and developed the Londra Scrive creative writing program. He has frequently written about and discussed Pier Vittorio Tondelli, one of his most significant influences.
Olga Campofreda is a London-based researcher, writer, and journalist. She covers pop culture and literature for magazines like F, D di Repubblica, and Marie Claire. Her first novel, Ragazze Perbene (NN Editore 2023), follows her academic work, including the essay From Generation to Individual: Youth, Identity, and Engagement in the Works of Pier Vittorio Tondelli.
Marco Gambino is a theater, film, and television actor. Based in London, he performs in Italian, French, and English. His latest work, Those About to Die, premiered on Amazon Prime in July 2024.