The Strega Poetry Prize is born, presented this morning at the Colosseum Park

It was presented this morning at the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, in the Curia Iulia headquarters at the Roman Forum, the newly formed Strega Poetry Prize, an award that joins the constellation of awards of the Strega Prize: the Strega Prize to the best fiction book, the Strega Giovani Prize and the European Strega Prize.

As poet Mariangela Gualtieri said in a recent interview, “There is a great hunger for poetry, as a balm that feeds a part of us that is very undernourished, dried up. In the current landscape where language is so impoverished, poetry is a force that can set in motion an inner change, and this is the first step toward acting less destructively and more compassionately toward all living things on the planet.” Writing in verse is instinctively connected to reflection on ultimate things and at the same time refers back to a native expression of speech, linked to natural breath and song. It is an art form that has never lost social prestige, as evidenced by numerous signs: some recent poetry collections have become long-sellers; poetry slam readings and performances are multiplying; dedicated series are being born and renewed (underscoring this publishing vibrancy, the IEA Report on the State of Publishing 2022 reports a growth of about 20 percent in the number of poetry titles published); and finally, social networks have become a vast sharing ground that generates real literary cases, followed even by the youngest audience.

And yet, as has been written, there is not so much poetry, which in itself risks being an abstract and generic concept, as there are poems, different writing experiences that all deserve to be heard and represented. The Strega Poetry Prize was thus created to give them visibility, signaling the production of the highest literary quality and significance in the contemporary world.

The Prize will be awarded annually to a book of poetry written in the Italian language, published in its first edition between March 1 of the previous year and February 28 of the current year (for the first year the terms of validity are January 2022-February 2023). A Scientific Committee (composed of Maria Grazia Calandrone, Andrea Cortellessa, Mario Desiati, Elisa Donzelli, Roberto Galaverni, Valerio Magrelli, Melania Mazzucco, Stefano Petrocchi, Laura Pugno, Antonio Riccardi, Enrico Testa and Gian Mario Villalta) will be in charge of selecting the five finalist works, which will be announced in May, while a large Jury, composed of cultural personalities, will determine the winning work in October. The members of the Scientific Committee and Jury will serve for one year and may be reappointed. The Strega Poetry Prize is promoted by the Maria and Goffredo Bellonci Foundation and Strega Alberti Benevento, in collaboration with BPER Banca and the Colosseum Archaeological Park, and with the support of the Lazio Region Culture Directorate.

“The purpose of the Bellonci Foundation is the enhancement of contemporary literature,” says Giovanni Solimine, president of the Bellonci Foundation. “Aware of the relevance that our prizes have assumed over time and of the guarantee of quality that the reading public has recognized, we now approach with respect another form of literary production, perhaps the highest, in the conviction that there is much to be done for the promotion of poetry. We believe that the time is right and that with everyone’s competition, the Strega Poetry Prize, too, can soon establish itself in the cultural landscape of our country.”

“A few years ago, the Bellonci Foundation,” recalls director Stefano Petrocchi, “started a project to spread contemporary poetry in schools that resulted in an anthology, edited by me together with others, whose title was a line by Fernando Bandini: There are flowers that bloom in the dark. Here, poetry will continue to bloom and bring light, knowledge and humanity even in the dark times we are living. We can rely on this comforting certainty. And yet it is up to us to make sure, even through this new literary recognition, that its light brightens our existences more and more.”

“Already for some time in the Prize’s management committee (of which the Bellonci Foundation and the Strega Alberti company are members) the possibility of establishing a Strega Poetry Prize was being discussed,” finally comments Giuseppe D’Avino, president of Strega Alberti Benevento. “The idea was to extend the literary promotion function proper to the Prize to a different literary genre, pooling the experience gained by all of us. It is with great pleasure that today we present this exciting new initiative, which completes the Strega universe and which we are sure will be a point of reference for Italian poetry.”

Also joining in the applause is the director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, Alfonsina Russo, who declares, “I immediately welcomed with great interest the proposal of the Bellonci Foundation to host this important event at the PArCo, which will become, starting with the first edition, also the venue for the Strega Poetry Prize. And the enthusiasm stems from the commitment of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, to be always, tenaciously, an open space for all expressions of contemporary culture and creativity centered on a model of community that shares values of solidarity and peace. All the more so in such a difficult historical moment as the one we are going through torn apart by a war in the heart of Europe that the force of Poetry can oppose in the name of freedom.”

The Strega Poetry Prize is born, presented this morning at the Colosseum Park

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