Svegliarsi adulti: Sandro Delmastro's biography by Roberta Mori wins Premio Pozzale award

Roberta Mori, together with Marzio Mian and Simone Torino, is the winner of the 72nd edition of the Premio letterario Pozzale Luigi Russo, an award that continues to be one of the most prestigious cultural events in the city of Empoli. The award ceremony will be held on Saturday, December 6, starting at 5 p.m., at the “Renato Fucini public Library” in Empoli. The day before, the winners will meet with schoolchildren and reading groups.

The award jury, consisting of Viola Ardone, Marino Biondi, Francesca Cecchi, Ilaria Gaspari, Carlo Greppi, Cristina Nesi, Francesca Petrizzo, Gaia Tortora, and Giorgio Van Straten, gathered to select the three winning books of the 72nd edition among the competing nominated titles, as per the regulations, by the jurors and members of the organizing committee.

The motivation for the award is as follows: «Roberta Mori, Svegliarsi adulti (Einaudi). A multifaceted text that speaks to young people. A documented biography of Sandro Delmastro, chemist, partisan, and close friend of Primo Levi, who died very young at the hands of the fascists in 1944. Through letters, diaries, photographs, and testimonies, Mori reconstructs his life, transforming it into the collective history of the Resistance and of the youth who opposed fascism. At the center is his bond with Levi, who dedicated the story Ferro, the fourth story in The Periodic Table, to him. A reflection on civic values and the power of memory».

The Popular Jury will also award a special mention, the Readers' Choice Award, which will be presented to the winning author at the award ceremony. Citizens who wish to vote for their favorite book among the three winners can indicate their preference on the Premio Pozzale's website. 

Now in its 72nd edition, the award was established in 1948 by the Communist Party section of the Pozzale district as part of the communist press festival. Its roots are to be found in the values of the Resistance, promoting encounters between intellectuals and workers as a symbol of the desire for social and cultural renewal after the pain and destruction of World War II. The award has its own organizing committee and jury, which from the outset has included high-profile intellectuals such as Romano Bilenchi, Sibilla Aleramo, Cesare Luporini, Silvio Guarnieri, and Cesare Garboli. Luigi Russo has been a member since 1952. After his death in 1961, due to the affection and involvement that the critic had shown towards this institution and its people, the award was named after him: Pozzale-Luigi Russo. 

Below is the poster for the event: