Three books in contemporary Italian language you should read

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Sometimes we are not aware of the beauty of the place where we live or our mother tongue until foreigners remind us of it: suddenly we think about our language and culture from a different point of view. Some say that in Italy we are accustomed to beauty, that's why, to "taste" it again, we need to watch, touch, smell and listen all around us as if it were the first time.

 

As promised, in honour of the beauty of the Italian Language and the Week of the Italian Language in the World 2024, I’ve asked a well-known Italian book blogger for a selection of books, written in the contemporary Italian language. Maria Rosaria Nigro has selected three novels that I can’t wait to read! Here are her reviews.

 Mare al mattino (Margaret Mazzantini)

It is a short but strong, touching and true story. It describes the complex connection between Italy and Lybia. It tells about the life-long link between Lybia and the Lybians, obliged to leave it, searching for a better life in Italy. But it’s also the narration of the Italians who were kicked out of the country when the Gaddafi regime came, forced to return to Italy as stateless, living in the nostalgia of a past happy life. A spotlight on two huge tragedies, that still happen, a story told with a dry and direct style, expressed by very short periods that give the idea of extremely emotional photo shoots.

 

Le Piccole Libertà (Lorenza Gentile)

It takes place in the most famous Parisian bookshop, Shakespeare and Co., and it’s a novel about self-esteem, the capability of staying true to ourselves, despite other people’s expectations of us.

“We must be free to be who we want, and leave others free to be themselves.”

A book that shows how to free ourselves from our comfort zone-like mental schemes in which we are often trapped. “What if we could go deeply just slowing down? Maybe it’s our collection of experiences that leads us farther.” It is a fluid, well-written, very enjoyable book.

 

Resto Qui (Marco Balzano)

Inspired by the flooding of the village named Curon, in the Italian region of Sud Tirol, this story is about identity, a sense of belonging to the community, and attachment to its land and traditions. The writing is quite simple but the style is extremely captivating. We are completely involved in the story and how it’s told. It’s a narration we should never forget because it represents a fragment of the complex Italian history, from the beginning of Fascism till the end of the second post-war period.

 

Have you already read these books? Let me know in the comments!

For more interesting Italian book reviews and suggestions follow Maria Rosaria Nigro’s amazing IG profile: mary_ricci.e.libri!