Book Selection: Contemporary Italian Literature

Italian literature has a long and distinguished history that goes back to the XIIth century. Through time, Italian literature has reflected the country's travailed history, marked by prolonged political fragmentation until 1861 as well as social unrest. For Italian authors, the novel has been a way to grapple with Italian identity itself, as different areas of Italy spoke different dialects and written literary Italian became codified as a national language. More recent decades have seen the emergence of literary movements such as neorealism, postmodernism and autofiction. The case of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels represent the official entrance of Italian fiction on the international scene.

This presentation will focus on authors who are potentially less well-known to a foreign audience but who embody significant themes of regionalism, class, gender, historical memory and new identities amongst others. Presented by Francesca, an Italian who is currently stranded in Switzerland.

Location: Maison des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Starting time: 7:15 pm sharp
Presenter: Francesca

Format:
Part 1: Presenters provide a short overview of the pre-selected books, highlighting some of the reviews and critics and other relevant background. Members who have read any of the books can contribute.

Part 2: Participants vote for the book to be read and discussed in an upcoming book discussion meeting.

Upcoming events: https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/future
Past events: https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/past
Presentation slides (recent):
https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/slides-2026