Thursday 7 May, 6pm
The Italian Library #27
Odissea: Il viaggio che racconta la nostra vita
Ornella Tarantola in conversation with Nicola Gardini and Paolo Nelli
In Italian
Twenty‑four cantos that tell the story of our entire lives. Regret, remorse. Love and distance. Nostalgia. Beyond being a book to study or quote, the Odyssey retold by Nicola Gardini reveals itself as a dramatic novel, something to read in one breath and remember forever. The writer draws inspiration from the Odyssey to explore and explain some of his own personal ideas, with references to the present day and to the problems that most afflict contemporary society. Hospitality, migration, war, adventure, loyalty, courage, introspection, suffering… all the things of which the Odyssey is made. Nicola Gardini, and Paolo Nelli take us on a journey through the past and the present.
The evening will begin at 6pm with the students of the Liceo Classico Jacopo Stellini in Udine, winners of the latest edition of Mitico Stellini!, a myth‑themed writing competition dedicated to the memory of Prof. Ezio Pellizer, an internationally renowned Greek scholar. The stories of Mitico Stellini! show how myths— to which Ezio Pellizer devoted with passion and curiosity his entire academic path and life’s work—continue to spark interest and creativity in today’s young people, who are able to reinterpret them and transform them into new stories, alive and close to their own sensibilities. One of the winning stories will be read in the presence of Nicola Gardini. The students will be accompanied by the headteacher, Prof. Monica Napoli, and the competition coordinator, Prof. Monica Delfabro.
Readings by Marco Gambino
Book your place HERE
Nicola Gardini (1965) teaches Italian and Comparative Literature at the University of Oxford and is the author of many books. For Garzanti he has written Viva il latino, translated into numerous languages, Con Ovidio, Le 10 parole latine che raccontano il nostro mondo, Rinascere, Il libro è quella cosa, Viva il greco, Nicolas, and Consigli a un giovane scrittore. He is president of the publishing house Salani. His latest novel, DADDY, is published by Mondadori.
Paolo Nelli (1968) is a Lecturer in Italian Language and Culture at King’s College, London. He has published short stories and novels, including his first, La fabbrica di paraurti (1999), Golden boot (2012), Trattato di economia affettiva (2018), Il terzo giorno (2020, La Nave di Teseo), and the recent Sindrome da assicuratore (2024, La Nave di Teseo). Paolo Nelli leads the Italian-language Book Club at the Italian Cultural Institute in London.
Marco Gambino is a theatre, film, and television actor. He lives in London and performs in Italian, French, and English. Among his recent work is the television series Those About to Die, available on Amazon Prime. He has just returned from a tour in Vietnam, where he starred alongside pianist Marcelo Bratke in the show Invitation au voyage.