The Orbetello Book Prize 2025 is underway

Enzo Fileno Carabba with "L'arca di Noè" (Ponte alle Grazie), Paola Mastrocola with "Il Dio del fuoco" (Einaudi) and Romana Petri with "La ragazza di Savannah" (Mondadori) are the finalists of the fourth edition of the Orbetello Book Prize - Maremma Tuscany Coast. The international literary prize, promoted by the Municipality of Orbetello - Department of Culture and Tourism, led by Maddalena Ottali, and created in collaboration with the ZigZag agency, will take place from 27 to 29 June in the suggestive Giardini Chiusi of the lagoon city in the province of Grosseto.

The event, officially presented today at the Hendrik Christian Andersen Museum in Rome with the collaboration of Cepell - Center for Books and Reading, aims to enhance contemporary fiction by directly involving a community of passionate readers. Among them, the 120 jurors of the "Friends of the Parco della Lettura" group stand out, 20% of whom live outside the province of Grosseto, who actively participate in the selection of the winner.

On Friday, June 27, at 9:00 p.m., Paola Mastrocola will be in conversation with Eugenio Murrali. On Saturday, June 28, at 7:00 p.m., it will be the turn of Enzo Fileno Carabba in conversation with Ritanna Armeni, while at 9:00 p.m., Romana Petri will close the evening in conversation with Daniela Mecenate. Sunday 29 June will be dedicated to the awards ceremony: the jury, chaired for the fourth consecutive year by Paolo Di Paolo, will announce the winner of the contemporary fiction prize, will award a special mention to Nikolai Prestìa for "La coscienza delle piante (Marsilio) and will present the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Tribute to Ben Pastor. Ben Pastor, an Italian-American writer born in Rome and long-time resident in the United States, will receive the award for her decades-long career. Known for her historical novels and for her ability to intertwine past and present with intelligence and sensitivity, Pastor recently published a sequel to "Promessi sposi". "In times of impatience and instant gratification - said Ben Pastor - the choice to read and judge an author worthy of recognition has great value in itself. The Orbetello Book Prize for Lifetime Achievement represents something even more significant: it is the esteem and affection of the jury for an intense literary commitment. I am extremely grateful".

Andrea Zagami, founder of the prize, emphasizes how the growth in the number and geographical origin of the jurors demonstrates the growing interest in the event: "Born as a territorial jury with 40 members from the Municipality of Orbetello, today it involves 120 readers, even from outside the province, who are active protagonists in the selection of the winners". A key role, this, at a time when the reading of printed books is slightly decreasing in Italy, as reported by a recent Aie research. Initiatives like the Orbetello Book Prize therefore become precious to strengthen the community of readers and promote the culture of the book.

The Councilor for Culture, Tourism and Commerce of the Municipality of Orbetello, Maddalena Ottali, highlights the value of the event: "The Orbetello Book Prize is the spearhead of initiatives that promote narrative and reading, fundamental activities for knowing and understanding new worlds and interior universes. We thank the associations, organizers and readers for their enthusiasm".

The director of the Hendrik Christian Andersen House Museum, Maria Giuseppina Di Monte, expressed pride in hosting the press conference in a historic cultural meeting place, linked to great personalities such as Henry James and Rabindranath Tagore. "It is a pleasure for the Center for Books and Reading of the Ministry of Culture - said director Luciana Lanna - which has at the center of its mission the objective of implementing policies for the diffusion of books and reading, to participate in the launch of the fourth edition of the international Orbetello Book Prize that rewards the narrative novel of the year also through the important participation of a group of 120 popular readers, the Friends of the Reading Park who vote for the winner. And it is a prize that gives a tribute to the career of a foreign author". "It is always a fascinating adventure - intellectual and emotional - underlines Paolo Di Paolo - that which brings a group of readers or perhaps hyper readers to discuss books and choose a trio of finalists. Passions, visions, experiences are put into play. And a shared bet is made. This is the spirit of a prize that is growing a lot, like the Orbetello Book Prize".