In our last Circolo Letterario, we explored the work of Jhumpa Lahiri, focusing on her profound relationship with the Italian language and her choice to write and create in Italian.
In this new Circolo Letterario, presented in English by Pieranna Garavaso, professor emerita at the University of Minnesota Morris, we turn our attention to the life and work of writer Goliarda Sapienza (1924–1996), author of the now celebrated novel L’arte della gioia (The Art of Joy, 1998). Sapienza’s writing, long overlooked in her lifetime, has come to be recognized for its daring exploration of personal freedom, female autonomy, and the quest for authenticity in 20th-century Italy. The first section of L’arte della gioia has also recently been brought to the screen in a successful two-part television series of the same name, directed by Valeria Golino, further renewing interest in Sapienza’s work.
This presentation is especially timely as part of our lead-up to the 17th Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis / St. Paul (February 26-March 1), where we will screen Fuori by Mario Martone, a film that brings to life a pivotal chapter of Sapienza’s life described in her book L'università di Rebibbia, which chronicles Sapienza’s reclusion in a well-known Roman jail. Through both her literature and this cinematic portrait, we will discuss the social, cultural, and political context that shaped Sapienza’s life and her fearless, uncompromising voice.
A book club edition of the Circolo Letterario is planned for Sunday, February 15th, for those who wish to read L’arte della gioia (available in Italian or English) and/or L'università di Rebibbia (available in Italian) and share their impressions. Discussions will take place in English and/or Italian, depending on the attendees.
Pieranna Garavaso is native Italian and came to the US to earn a PhD in Philosophy (at the U of Nebraska Lincoln). She taught Philosophy at the University of Minnesota Morris for 34 years. She was awarded the UMN Morris Alumni Association Teaching Award (2003), the Horace T. Morse Alumni Association Undergraduate Teaching Award (2004) and the UMN Morris Faculty Research Award (2017). Her areas of research include History of Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy of Mathematics, and Feminist Philosophies. She has published articles in Italian and English and authored, co-authored or edited several books; the last collection she has edited is the Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Feminism (2018). As Emerita/retired she plans to devote more time to reading and discussing Italian literature.
In 2021, ICC was appointed Presidio Letterario of the Società Dante Alighieri (DA), one of the most important Italian institutions for the promotion and appreciation of Italian language and culture since 1889. ICC is now part of a network of cultural centers in Italy and abroad promoting events and initiatives related to Italian literature. Since 2009 DA has officially been part of the jury of Premio Strega, the most prestigious Italian literary award.
