Alfabeto Italiano - ENG

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge What is the fascination of books that start from an image, a drawing, rather than words? How important are comics, manga and graphic novels in the Italian publishing market? What are the characteristics of the increasing number of publishing houses that put “illustrations” at the centre of their production? And how do illustrators and writers engage in dialogue? Leafing through the Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter D, D as in Drawings, a big word, a kind of umbrella term under which many different books can easily be found: picture books for children and adults, comics, manga, graphic novels… It was almost a niche market until around twenty years ago but it is now one of the most important segments in the panorama of Italian publishing. With Massimiliano Clemente (Tunué) and Lorenzo Mattotti

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge How does an extra-small publishing house operate? What are the challenges that the many small and very small Italian publishers have to overcome to get themselves known by readers? And how much do these miniscule firms, which are often based in secluded locations outside the big cities, count in the publishing market? Leafing through the Alfabeto italiano, the pages opens at the letter X, X as in X-small, the abbreviation for the smallest sizes in garments with which we playfully describe the many miniscule publishing houses that characterise and enrich the Italian publishing panorama. With Alberto Casiraghi (Pulcinoelefante) and Silvia La Posta (Moscabianca)

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge How did audio books – sometimes jokingly called “books for ears” - come about? How were they adopted in Italy? And how can their great popularity in recent years be explained? Leafing through the Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter O, O for Orecchie or Ears in English, which we have become accustomed to using not only to listen to conversations around us and the music we like, but also for experiencing a written text in a different way. With Carla Fiorentino (Emons) and Francesco Bono (Audible)

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge What does "new” mean when we talk about publishing? How long, that is, can a book be described as “new”? And what is the relationship between new books and those on the catalogue in a publisher’s production? But, above all, how important is it for a publishing house to offer innovative, original texts? Leafing through the Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter N, N as in New, a central word in the lexicon of Italian publishing, and of any other country. Just enter any bookshop to see this confirmed: immediately, the attention is captured by books that have a band or a sticker with "New" written on it - a sort of implicit promise to the future reader: If you read me, you will find something that you don’t yet know. With Benedetta Centovalli and Maura Gancitano and Andrea Colamedici (Tlon)

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge Who are the readers that come under the editorial definition “young adults”? What do teens want to read in that most complicated period of life, adolescence? And how has this segment of Italian publishing changed in recent times? Leafing through the Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter Y, Y for Young Adults, an English term frequently used in the publishing field to describe book production intended specifically for adolescents, texts centred on heroines and heroes struggling with their anxieties. Or adventures set in distant galaxies, at the centre of which a young girl or boy is ready to take on the monsters, fight them and rout them. With Mariagrazia Mazzitelli (Salani) and Nicola Galli Laforest (Hamelin - Xanadù)

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge How important are the classics in the backlists of publishing houses today? And, generally, how significant are they in the publishing market? Leafing through the Alfabeto Italiano, the page opens at the letter Z, Z for Zibaldone, Italian for Hotchpotch. A word that, in ancient times referred to a dish made up of many and varied ingredients, and is the word we have chosen, taking our cue from that great accumulation of intelligence that is Leopardi’s Zibaldone in order to discuss the classics and their role in contemporary publishing, attempting to go beyond the stereotypes, the platitudes. With Elisabetta Risari (Mondadori) and Federica Magro (BUR)

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge How did the cultural festivals held every year in so many Italian cities come about? Who are the people that attend them? What impact do they have on the places where they are held? Leafing through the Alfabeto Italiano, the page opens at the letter F, F for Festival. A word that, over the last twenty or thirty years, has gained increasing importance not only in the country’s cultural system but also in the social and economic life of many of Italy's cities and citizens. With Marzia Corraini (Festivalettatura) and Giulia Cogoli (Festival della Mente - Dialoghi di Pistoia)

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge How do those very special books intended for schools come about and how are they put together? What impact does scholastic publishing have on the Italian publishing market? And how do those increasingly numerous courses, where the creation of a book coincides with the subject being studied, really operate? Leafing through the Alfabeto Italiano, the page opens at the letter S, S for School. A word that plays a really central role when it comes to writing and publishing. With Bruno Mari (Giunti Scuola) and Marco Cassini (SUR)

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge How is the cover of a book created? How is it made up into pages? What is the relationship between the graphic designer and the publishing house? And, in general, what are editorial graphics? Leafing through the Alfabeto Italiano, the page opens at letter G, G for Graphics. A recent word, in use for around a hundred years, or even less, but that corresponds to a fundamental, even though sometimes neglected, aspect when talking about books. With Silvana Amato and Giacomo Callo.

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge Where does Italian publishing stand on the international market? How can Italian publishing houses reach out beyond the country’s borders? What are the relations between Italy and the world when it comes to books? Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter M: M for Mondo, World in English – a word that sooner or later all publishers must come to terms with and that, in certain situations, can be a goal, if not a mission. With Eva Ferri (E/O - Europeans Editions) and Paolo Primavera (Edicola Edizioni).

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge What form will the books of the future take? How will the publishing industry evolve in the coming decades? What relationship do we think there will be between the practice of reading, basically very physical, and the virtual sphere, which seems to attract us more every day? These are questions that Italian publishing houses, and not just them, are continuously asking themselves. Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter V: V for Virtual, the word on which we alight on this stage of our journey through Italian publishing, a word that was rarely used just a few decades ago and that now we come across frequently, very often in association with an apparently contrasting term: reality. With Gino Roncaglia (Università Roma Tre) and Mauro Morellini (Extended Book).

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in partnership with cultural association Monteverdelegge How does the world’s most important professional event for children’s publishing, the Children’s Book Fair, held every spring in Bologna, work? How important is the segment dedicated to younger readers within the Italian publishing market? And, above all, is it possible to identify a specific feature that characterises children’s books? Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter B: B for Bambini, Children in English, the word on which we alight for this stage of our journey through Italian publishing. And what an important word it is! Because thinking about children means thinking about the future, imagining how the world will be in twenty or thirty years. With Elena Pasoli (Bologna Children's Book Fair) and Fausta Orecchio (Orecchio Acerbo).

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in collaboration with cultural association Monteverdelegge What is the relationship between reading and leisure time? In what way do books help us to pursue our hobbies and give us the tools to practise them better? And, above all, in an era when we have the impression that we can find the answer to everything on the internet, is there still any point in turning to the written page to find suggestions and information on a certain recipe of Japanese cuisine, on the model car that we need to complete our collection or on the cycle trails we would like to travel along on our next holidays? Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter H: H for Hobby, the word on which we alight on for this stage of our journey through Italian publishing. A modern word? Actually, in Italy, the word hobby has only been used for a few decades, roughly since the middle of the twentieth century but, behind this term, there is a long history. With Giusy Marzano (Guido Tommasi editore) and Andrea Palombi (Nutrimenti Mare).

A production of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and storielibere.fm, in collaboration with cultural association Monteverdelegge What does the “Fourth cover or back cover” mean? How do the short texts that we read on the back of a book and its flaps induce readers to buy it? Is this, as some argue, a minor literary form or are we dealing with a vehicle, albeit subtle, of commercial promotion? And, in this regard, do flaps and back covers actually have any impact on the sales of new books? Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter Q: Q as in Quarta di copertina, the “fourth” or back cover in English, the term on which we alight on this stage of our journey into Italian publishing – a term little used by the public perhaps but to which publishing houses pay great attention. With Ena Marchi (Adelphi) and Vincenzo Ostuni (Ponte alle Grazie)

How does a literary award work? What does it mean for a book to win the Strega or Campiello prize? What does the work of a jury entail? Entering a bookstore, passing by the display of new books on the counters, you can’t help being attracted by the colourful labels proclaiming in large letters: winner of prize X, finalist in prize Y. Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter P: P for Premio, Prize in English, the word on which we alight on for this stage of our journey through Italian publishing. A word that cannot be underestimated because winning a prize – especially one of the best-known and established ones - means the certainty of a considerable increase in sales and in general greater attention from the media and the public. With Giovanni Solimine (Premio Strega) and Mariacristina Gribaudi (Premio Campiello).

When we talk about publishing in Italy, what are we referring to? What are the challenges that a publishing house has to face nowadays? What needs to be known by those who intend to operate in that gigantic and complex “machine” that is the publishing sector, when it goes through a phase, such as the current one, characterised by great transformations? Leafing through the pages of our Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter K – K for Know-How, an English expression often used by Italians that not only indicates a wealth of theoretical knowledge but also the ability to draw up operating strategies on the basis of experience, critical reflection and the understanding of a certain context. With Marino Sinibaldi (Cepell - Centro Italiano per il Libro e la Lettura) and Giovanni Peresson (Aie - Associazione Italiana Editori).

What does the work of a literary agent involve? How come the number of literary agencies in Italy has multiplied in recent years? And what changes are underway? Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto Italiano, the page opens at the letter A: A as in Agenzìa, Agenzìa letteraria, literary agency in English, the word on which we alight on this stage of our journey into Italian publishing – a word that in Italy seemed almost exotic not very long ago. With Fiammetta Biancatelli (Walkabout) and Marco Vigevani (Italian Literary Agency).

How does a publishing house build up its catalogue? And what does this word generally mean when we include it in the complex system that is publishing? Leafing through the pages of Alfabeto Italiano, the page has opened at the letter C - C as in Catalogue, or Backlist, a vital word in the life of a publishing brand, the one that perhaps best represents its solidity and standing. With Con Andrea Gentile (Saggiatore) e Isabella Ferretti (66thand2nd).

What exactly does the editorial department of a publishing house do? What are the steps that a text, created by the pen or keyboard of the person who conceived and composed it, must go through to be ready for its public? Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto Italiano, the page opens at the letter R – R as in Redazione, or Editorial Department in English, which is sort of like a kitchen where the dishes, in our case books, that a publishing house will release are prepared and laid out. With Daniela di Sora (Voland) and Enrica Speziale (minimumfax)

What is the role of a bookshop, now that we’ve gotten so used to buying books online? And what are booksellers doing to offer an alternative to the giants of the web? Leafing through the letters of Alfabeto italiano, the page opens at the letter L - L as in Libreria, or bookshop in English, the place where, in most cases, even today, books can find their reader. A shop unlike any other, if what Romano Montroni said is true: “Books are still the best way of circulating ideas and bookshops are still the best places to sell them.” With Elisabetta Cavani (ItalLibri) and Fabio Masi (L'ultima spiaggia)