đź“š SuperBook: Italy’s Award-Winning Authors Compete in New York – Day 1.
Join us to meet Leonardo San Pietro and Nicola H. Cosentino (5:00 PM)Â and Andrea Bajani (6:30).
Conceived by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di New York, directed by Claudio Pagliara, SuperBook – the “Prize of Prizes” is a new initiative by the Institute that, inspired by the Super Bowl model, aims to promote Italian literature in the United States.
Eight Italian authors, winners of the main Italian literary prizes of 2025, will travel to New York to present their books and compete for the first SuperBook title. The public is invited to take part in a series of special events, featuring readings and conversations with readers, critics, translators, and publishers.
By mid-September, a jury with strong ties to the United States will select the book with the greatest potential for the American market. The winning work will receive $10,000 to support its translation and promotion in English.
On Thursday, March 27, at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, you will meet the following authors:
At 5:00 PM
Leonardo San Pietro, Festa con casuario (Sellerio, 2025): a late-night dare, delivered via threatening note, upends expectations and established dynamics among a group of college students enjoying a house party on a summer night. Winner of the 2025 Mondello Prize for Best Debut Book by an Italian Author. Forthcoming in English from Knopf, Penguin Random House.
Nicola H. Cosentino, C’è molta speranza (ma nessuna per noi) (Guanda, 2025): A young man writing about the end of the world finds himself overwhelmed with material and decides to ask everyone he meets what they desire most. Winner of the 2025 Flaiano Prize for Authors Under 35
At 6:30 PM
Andrea Bajani, L’anniversario (Feltrinelli, 2025): ten years later, a son reclaims the narrative of his childhood following a family history of domestic violence. Winner of the 2025 Strega Prize and the 2025 Young Strega Prize. He is currently Professor in the Practice and International Writer-in-Residence in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Rice University in Houston. Forthcoming from Other Press, translated by Geoffrey Brock.