“Sciascia was committed to writing as a strong endeavour for truth and for justice.” Said the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marina Sereni, at the inaugural event of the celebrations of the centenary of the birth of the Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia (2021-2023).
“For him – Ms. Sereni continued – writing meant denouncing and demystifying, opposing the iniquities and lies of power. The only form of optimism that Sciascia envisages for himself is precisely his faith in the exercise of writing. As he makes one of his characters say: ‘Writing seems to me a way of finding consolation and peace; a way of finding myself, outside the contradictions of life, ultimately in a destiny of truth.’ Thanks to his uncompromising quest for truth and justice, thirty years after his death Sciascia still presents us with an ethical model whose strength is grounded precisely in the exercise of contradiction.”
“The importance of Sciascia’s work – the Vice Minister said – transcends the borders of our country. His books continue to be translated into the most diverse languages in many different countries, from Spain to Japan, from China to Arabic-speaking countries, from Poland to England. Therefore, this year’s centenary celebrations will naturally inspire numerous study initiatives all over the world, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs too wishes to offer its own contribution through its offices abroad, which in recent years have specifically focused on promoting our publishing industry and supporting Italian authors and translations. In the light of this important objective – Ms. Sereni concluded – the Italian Institutes of Culture will participate in a programme of ‘Sciascia Readings’, at which some of the most famous Italian and foreign experts of the Sicilian author will speak as guests.”
