It’s never too late: one of the finalists in the Chiara Prize is 90

Giulio Questi turned 90 in March, and three months later, has been nominated one the Chiara Prize finalists. It is never too late, when it comes to literature. Especially for someone who published in Elio Vittorini’s review, Politecnico, acted in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, and directed Se sei vivo spara (Django Kill), one of the first Italian westerns. Giulio, who was born in 1924, published his book of tales Uomini e comandanti with Einaudi, and impressed the Chiara jury, who made him one of the three finalists, together with Selve d’amore (Quodlibet), by Gianni Celati, another literature giant, who won the prize back in 2001 with Cinema naturale, and La nascita di Che. Racconti da Cuba (Aragno), by Davide Barilli. (photo above, from left: Celati, Questi and Barilli)

The three finalists, selected from among 60 works, by a committee of avid readers, was announced, for reasons of the weather, a long way from Lake Maggiore, and from the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, but was no less inspiring. Moreover, a few days ago, the organisers of the Prize, Bambi Lazzati and Romano Oldrini, had said that it would be “an interesting threesome”.

And the decision by the “Newcomer” jury is equally interesting; they have selected the La ragazza dal cuore di carta, by the Italian-Senegalese writer Aminata Aidara, whose tales will be published by Pietro Macchione.

There was also a considerable response in the Chiara Young Writer Prize, in which participants had to compete with the outline “Quel profumo”. Of the 180 tales received by the Secretary, the technical jury has selected 23 to compete in the final prize; these tales will be published in a single volume, by the Association Amici di Piero Chiara.

Finally, for the 2014 Chiara Prize Notables section, the book La nostra vita somigliava a un tappet magico (EmmeEffe Edizioni) by the writer and photographer Mario Chiodetti, has been selected.

Now it is up to the people’s jury to choose the winner of the three Chiara Prize finalists, and among the 23 young writers. The award ceremony will be on Sunday 19 October, in Villa Ricalcati, for the Chiara Young Writer Prize, and Sunday 26 October, in Ville Ponti, when the winner of the 2014 Chiara Prize will be awarded.