The charm of the Strega Prize: between literary excellence and Italian culture

The Premio Strega, one of Italy’s most prestigious literary awards, is an excellent showcase for contemporary literature. Established in 1947 by Maria and Goffredo Bellonci together with Guido Alberti, owner of the Strega liqueur company (from which the event takes its name), the prize has seen some of the biggest names in Italian literature as winners, becoming a point of reference for authors, publishers and readers.

The history of the Prize. 

The idea of instituting the Premio Strega was born during the meetings of the famous “Amici della domenica” circle, a group of intellectuals, critics, writers and poets, who from 1944 began to meet regularly at the home of Mr and Mrs Bellonci to discuss the present and the uncertain future of Italy. The first winner, in 1947, was Ennio Flaiano with “Tempo di uccidere”, a novel that captured the collective imagination of post-war Italy.
Over the years, the Premio Strega has kept intact its mission of highlighting works of Italian fiction published between March 1 of the previous year and February 28 of the current year. The jury is made up of the “Amici della Domenica”, a total of 400 men and women of culture including former winners, who have been joined since 2010 by a group of readers selected from independent bookshops and reading circles, schools, universities and libraries, and other voters selected by the Italian Cultural Institutes abroad.

The selection process.

The selection mechanism is rigorous and articulated. Each year, publishers submit the works they deem worthy, but only those that receive at least two recommendations from the “Amici della domenica” enter the official competition. In May, the “dozen”, i.e. a list of twelve selected books, is announced. Subsequently, in June, the list is reduced to a “five” finalist.

The final evening, which is traditionally held on the first Thursday in July at the Nymphaeum of Villa Giulia in Rome, is a popular social and cultural event. During this ceremony, the winner, chosen through a secret vote involving all members of the jury, is proclaimed.

Famous winners.

The most famous winners of the Premio Strega include authors of the calibre of Cesare Pavese, who won in 1950 with “La bella estate”, and Umberto Eco, who triumphed in 1981 with “The Name of the Rose”. In recent years, the prize has seen the emergence of talents such as Niccolò Ammaniti, who won in 2007 with “Come Dio comanda”, and Paolo Giordano winner in 2008 with “La solitudine dei numeri primi”.
These successes not only bring prestige to authors, but often translate into a significant increase in book sales, demonstrating the importance of the Premio Strega not only from a cultural point of view, but also from a commercial one.
But prestige is not only winning the Strega: being put forward is in itself very important and many successful authors have been finalists without ever winning.

The controversies.

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An interesting curiosity concerning the Premio Strega is linked to the traditional drink of the same name. The Strega liqueur, produced in Benevento, plays a symbolic role in the prize: during the final evening, a drink made of Strega liqueur is offered to guests and finalists and the winner traditionally uncorks a bottle of liqueur and drinks a glass after the proclamation. This ritual, which combines literature and tradition, symbolises the deep connection between the prize and Italian culture. Moreover, the liqueur, known for its golden yellow colour and distinctive flavour derived from a (secret!) blend of some 70 herbs and spices, has become a symbol of the evening, making the Premio Strega not only a literary event, but also a celebration of Italian flavours and traditions.

PAROLE DIFFICILI

Narrativa: genere letterario che comprende tutte le opere in prosa che si basano sulle invenzioni della fantasia.

Fiction: a literary genre that includes all prose works that are based on the inventions of the imagination.

-I ragazzi delle scuole medie preferiscono leggere libri di narrativa.
-Middle school children prefer to read fiction books.

Saggistica: complesso di opere letterarie che si basano sull’esposizione commentata di una realtà esistente.

Non-fiction: a collection of literary works that are based on an annotated exposition of an existing reality.

-Non amo leggere libri di saggistica, li trovo noiosi e troppo difficili da capire.
-I do not like reading non-fiction books, I find them boring and too difficult to understand.

Il romanzo: testo narrativo in prosa, che racconta vicende reali o fantastiche.

The novel: a narrative text in prose, which recounts real or fantastic events.

-L’ultimo romanzo di Donatella Di Pietrantonio è uno dei finalisti del premio Strega 2024.
-Donatella Di Pietrantonio’s latest novel is one of the finalists for the Strega 2024 prize.

Il saggio: scritto in cui l’autore analizza criticamente un argomento storico, biografico, filosofico, critico…

The essay: a piece of writing in which the author critically analyses a historical, biographical, philosophical, critical argument…

-A Luigi piacciono i saggi sulla filosofia tedesca.
-Luigi likes essays on German philosophy.

La casa editrice: una società la cui attività principale è la produzione e distribuzione di libri, periodici e testi stampati in genere.

The publishing house: a company whose main activity is the production and distribution of books, periodicals and printed texts in general.

-La casa editrice Bompiani ha pubblicato per la prima volta “Il nome della rosa”.
-The publishing house Bompiani first published “The Name of the Rose”.

La copertina: foglio esterno di carta o cartoncino che copre un libro.

The cover: an outer sheet of paper or cardboard that covers a book.

-Spesso Luisa sceglie i libri in base alla copertina.
-Luisa often chooses books on the basis of their covers.