Presented by the Dante Alighieri Society of BC, with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto.
The next meeting of the Italian Book Club will take place on Tuesday, February 16 at 8:30PM EST / 5:30PM PST.
The group will discuss the novel I’m Staying Here (Resto qui) by Marco Balzano (Einaudi, 2018). Benedetta Diamanti will coordinate.
Please note that the discussion will be in Italian. An intermediate to advanced level of Italian is recommended.
To register, please email info@dantesocietybc.ca.
The Italian Book Club meets ONLINE on ZOOM once a month.
Meet other bibliophiles, share ideas and deepen your understanding of Italian literature, history and culture.
The Italian Book Club is FREE and open to all those in Canada interested in friendly and thought-provoking discussions of Italian books: fiction, non-fiction, classics, prize-winners, etc.
If you are new to the Italian Book Club and wish to join the meetings, please email info@dantesocietybc.ca to register and receive the MEETING LINK
Schedule and more info: www.dantesocietybc.ca/bookclub.
RESTO QUI (I’M STAYING HERE)
A mother recounts her life story to her long-lost daughter in this sweeping historical novel about a community torn between Italian fascism and German Nazism.
In the small village of Curon in South Tyrol, seventeen-year-old Trina longs for a different life. She dedicates herself to becoming a teacher, but the year that she qualifies—1923—Mussolini’s regime abolishes the use of German as a teaching language in the annexed Austrian territory. Defying their ruthless program of forced Italianization, Trina works for a clandestine network of schools in the valley, always with the risk of capture. In spite of this new climate of fear and uncertainty, she finds love and some measure of stability with Erich, an orphaned young man and her father’s helper.
Now married and a mother, Trina’s life is again thrown into uncertainty when Hitler’s Germany announces the “Great Option” in 1939, and communities in South Tyrol are invited to join the Reich and leave Italy. The town splits, and ever-increasing rifts form among its people. Those who choose to stay, like Trina and her family, are seen as traitors and spies; they can no longer leave the house without suffering abuse. Then one day Trina comes home and finds that her daughter is missing…
MARCO BALZANO
Marco Balzano was born in 1978 in Milan, where he lives and works as a high school teacher. In addition to essays and poetry collections, he has written four award-winning novels.
Marco Balzano was born in 1978 in Milan, where he lives and works as a high school teacher. In addition to essays and poetry collections, he has written four award-winning novels, including Il figlio del figlio (Premio Corrado Alvaro), Pronti a tutti le partenze (Premio Flaiano), and L’ultimo arrivato (Premio Campiello and Premio Volponi, among others). His bestseller Resto qui (Premio Bagutta, Premio Asti d’Appello, Prix Méditerranée, and runner-up for the Premio Strega) was published in 2018. His essay Le parole sono importanti (Premio Città delle Rose) was published in 2019. His books have been translated into several languages.