The Island, the Nation, the World. Sergio Atzeni and the post-modern definition of Sardinian ethnic identity
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: School of Modern Languages and Cultures
Abstract
The AHRC Fellowship is requested in order to finance the final phases of the preparation of a monograph on the Italian writer Sergio Atzeni (1952-1995).
Atzeni has been defined by Ernesto Ferrero as an 'ethnic writer', whose stories draw on both the present and the mythical past of his native island, Sardinia. As well as being the author of novels, short stories, theatrical works and poetry, he worked as a journalist and as a translator from French into Italian. In the latter role, he translated essays by Claude Lévy-Strauss and Gérard Genette, as well as a novel by Patrick Chamoiseau. His idiolect - a refined literary Italian, open to dialects and foreign influences - is highly experimental yet accessible, personal yet communicative.
While strongly interested in preserving cultural traditions and local identities against contemporary homologation processes, operating at both national and international level, Atzeni is also an intellectual of his time. Politically involved in the 1968 movements, passionate about pop, rock, and jazz, a voracious and omnivorous reader, his different and contrasting influences emerge clearly in his own writing. The result is a post-modern mélange, where traditions and modernity coexist and clash on the levels of content, structure, language and style.
Since his premature death, Atzeni's importance as a writer has gained a wide and profound recognition. Most of his novels have been translated into French, and Il figlio di Bakunìn has also appeared in Spanish and English. His short story Bellas mariposas was included in the prestigious collection Racconti italiani, edited by Enzo Siciliano for the series 'I Meridiani' (Milan: Mondadori, 1997). An entry on Atzeni was added to the Lessico Universale Italiano of the Treccani encyclopedia (2001). In 2005, the tenth anniversary of his death further increased interest in his work, with major conferences in Turin and Cagliari, new editions of his works, and also theatre and cinema adaptations. Nevertheless, critical attention to Atzeni has hitherto been limited to a few scholarly articles, a collection of essays by Giuseppe Marci (1997) and the proceedings of a conference edited by Marci and myself (2001). Another collection of conference proceedings (Cagliari, 2005) is scheduled in 2011. My monograph constitutes the first attempt at a coherent stylistic, structural and thematic analysis of Atzeni's oeuvre.
I study Atzeni's oeuvre within the general framework of multilingualism in modern Italian novels; my approach integrates narratology, stylistics/linguistics, textual philology, and current trends in multicultural studies. My reading of Atzeni's work challenges the idea that a supposed centre still maintains its political, cultural, and linguistic supremacy over the peripheries, and - following from the influential ideas of Carlo Dionisotti and Gianfranco Contini - it reaffirms the historical vitality of polycentrism and multilingualism in Italian culture.
My study also links Atzeni's poetics to international models, especially to francophone writers from Martinique such as Patrick Chamoiseu, whose work was translated by Atzeni into Italian, and also Éduard Glissant. Thus, it proposes a definition of Atzeni's writing as part of a new Italian 'internal post-colonialism'. In this respect, my research, while aiming at extending the Italian literary canon of the late twentieth century, also fits into the 'Post-colonial Europe' project run by the Institute for Colonial and Post-colonial Studies in Leeds (of which I am a member) which 'enacts the return of the colonial gaze on contemporary metropolitan European societies and cultures. The project gauges the parameters of a rapidly transforming but still hierarchically structured polity in which new transnational forms of community, citizenship and governance jostle with atavistic attitudes to identity, terror and race' (see:http://www.leeds.ac.uk/english/shared/lpsc/projects.htm).
Atzeni has been defined by Ernesto Ferrero as an 'ethnic writer', whose stories draw on both the present and the mythical past of his native island, Sardinia. As well as being the author of novels, short stories, theatrical works and poetry, he worked as a journalist and as a translator from French into Italian. In the latter role, he translated essays by Claude Lévy-Strauss and Gérard Genette, as well as a novel by Patrick Chamoiseau. His idiolect - a refined literary Italian, open to dialects and foreign influences - is highly experimental yet accessible, personal yet communicative.
While strongly interested in preserving cultural traditions and local identities against contemporary homologation processes, operating at both national and international level, Atzeni is also an intellectual of his time. Politically involved in the 1968 movements, passionate about pop, rock, and jazz, a voracious and omnivorous reader, his different and contrasting influences emerge clearly in his own writing. The result is a post-modern mélange, where traditions and modernity coexist and clash on the levels of content, structure, language and style.
Since his premature death, Atzeni's importance as a writer has gained a wide and profound recognition. Most of his novels have been translated into French, and Il figlio di Bakunìn has also appeared in Spanish and English. His short story Bellas mariposas was included in the prestigious collection Racconti italiani, edited by Enzo Siciliano for the series 'I Meridiani' (Milan: Mondadori, 1997). An entry on Atzeni was added to the Lessico Universale Italiano of the Treccani encyclopedia (2001). In 2005, the tenth anniversary of his death further increased interest in his work, with major conferences in Turin and Cagliari, new editions of his works, and also theatre and cinema adaptations. Nevertheless, critical attention to Atzeni has hitherto been limited to a few scholarly articles, a collection of essays by Giuseppe Marci (1997) and the proceedings of a conference edited by Marci and myself (2001). Another collection of conference proceedings (Cagliari, 2005) is scheduled in 2011. My monograph constitutes the first attempt at a coherent stylistic, structural and thematic analysis of Atzeni's oeuvre.
I study Atzeni's oeuvre within the general framework of multilingualism in modern Italian novels; my approach integrates narratology, stylistics/linguistics, textual philology, and current trends in multicultural studies. My reading of Atzeni's work challenges the idea that a supposed centre still maintains its political, cultural, and linguistic supremacy over the peripheries, and - following from the influential ideas of Carlo Dionisotti and Gianfranco Contini - it reaffirms the historical vitality of polycentrism and multilingualism in Italian culture.
My study also links Atzeni's poetics to international models, especially to francophone writers from Martinique such as Patrick Chamoiseu, whose work was translated by Atzeni into Italian, and also Éduard Glissant. Thus, it proposes a definition of Atzeni's writing as part of a new Italian 'internal post-colonialism'. In this respect, my research, while aiming at extending the Italian literary canon of the late twentieth century, also fits into the 'Post-colonial Europe' project run by the Institute for Colonial and Post-colonial Studies in Leeds (of which I am a member) which 'enacts the return of the colonial gaze on contemporary metropolitan European societies and cultures. The project gauges the parameters of a rapidly transforming but still hierarchically structured polity in which new transnational forms of community, citizenship and governance jostle with atavistic attitudes to identity, terror and race' (see:http://www.leeds.ac.uk/english/shared/lpsc/projects.htm).
Planned Impact
The non-academic impact of this project can be described mainly in terms of 1) the support it offers to the promotion of new international cultural and artistic products and events, 2) its uses for pedagogical activities outside the university (in schools, for example, or in continuing education programmes), and 3) its influence on Sardinian (but also Italian, and international) socio-intellectual growth.
1) To date, Sergio Atzeni has attracted the interest of many Italian intellectual and artists; several projects inspired by his work or devoted to his life are in progress at the moment, ranging from documentary and feature films to theatre productions and radio programmes. The completion of my monograph will not only provide new insights into Atzeni's biography and poetics, but will also make available for the first time new unpublished materials (letters, private notes, lectures), from which artists and general readers will benefit. At present, I am recognised as one of the leading critics working on contemporary Sardinian fiction and in particular on Atzeni's work. I have contributed as scientific consultant to a number of existing productions, and I am also involved in new ones (see the attached document Pathways to Impact). In the longer term, my aim is to co-ordinate in Italy, United Kingdom and France a series of public events centred on my monograph and/or on new texts inspired by Atzeni, thus fostering an international cultural debate on the central themes explored in his work.
2) I have always devoted time to disseminate my research outside the academic field, and I will continue doing so in relation to this project. A series of book presentations will be organised in Italian and European cities, and part of the materials produced will enrich the existing official website on Sergio Atzeni. Workshops on Atzeni and on literary representations of contemporary Sardinian culture will be organised for Italian high school students, as well as for mature learners in Italian and British centres for continuing education.
3) Finally, by presenting an analysis of the definition of Sardinian ethnic identity in the work of a writer at the end of the twentieth century, the project will also contribute to the socio-political debate on the specific characteristics of the island (and of minority cultures), both in the regional and national context and in the broader context of the European Union (Europe of the Regions). My analysis of literary texts will enrich understanding of ethnic identity, by showing that is not something fixed, defined since its origins and transmitted passively from one generation to the next. Instead it will present this identity as an artefact, produced and recreated differently in response to the different social and cultural needs of a given community at a specific time (or in a specific era). In this respect, literary and artistic texts can cast new light on the processes of self-representation elaborated by national communities; therefore, by presenting Sardinian people with new ways to look at their own identity in the global world, the project is likely to provoke a lively intellectual debate, leading possibly to new approaches to the making of socio-political policy.
Details on the impact activities related to this project are given in the attached document on Pathways to impact.
People |
ORCID iD |
Gigliola Sulis (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Sulis G
(2017)
Sergio Atzeni e le voci della Sardegna
Sulis, G.
(2015)
La Sardegna contemporanea. Idee, luoghi, processi culturali
Title | Madre Acqua. Frammenti di vita di Sergio Atzeni [Water Mother. Fragments of Sergio Atzeni's Life] |
Description | Biopic of the life of the Sardinian writer Sergio Atzeni, by film-maker Daniele Atzeni. Sergio Atzeni's life is illustrated in the context of a peripheral, minority culture in Western Europe in the second half of the 20th century (i.e.: Sardinian society and culture of the years 1950s-1990s). Partially funded by the Sardinian Regional Government (Regione Autonoma della Sardegna - RAS) (€10.000,00). I acted as an academic advisor and consultant for the general content of the film and for the selection of materials, and I am one of the people speaking in the video. In addition, the 74-minute film makes extensive use of the recording of the interviews I did with the writer before his death and with family, friends, and collaborators (old tapes). The film has been released in 2015, in time for the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the writer's death. Production: Araj Film (http://www.arajfilm.it) |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | Director Daniele Atzeni is a winner of awards in international film festivals all over the world, especially with his last work 'I morti di Alos' (http://www.cinemaitaliano.info/pers/030887/daniele-atzeni.html). He has worked extensively on Sardinian culture and society in the 20th Century, focusing on stories from the minefields and the traditional fishing economy. By collaborating with me on the life and work of Sergio Atzeni, the film-maker gained new knowledge on one of the main cultural interpreters of contemporary Sardinian identity. He also made use of preparatory materials produced during my research, from original, unpublished documents. (see: https://www.facebook.com/madreacqua/info/?tab=page_info; http://lanuovasardegna.gelocal.it/regione/2015/08/01/news/madre-acqua-la-vita-di-sergio-atzeni-1.11870148). The film is being screened at Sardinian and national festivals and events, thus: 1. increasing the visibility of the writer Sergio Atzeni; 2. proposing a post-modern definition of Sardinian ethnic identity, as a minority culture in the contemporary glocal world (global + local); 3. fostering a reconsideration of the canon of Italian literature in the final decades of the 20th century, by looking at it from the peripheries (Sardinia). I accompanied the director at some screening events in Sardinia, followed by Q&A and public debates: - Cagliari, Cineteca Sarda, 21.10.2015 @8.30pm Premiere of Madre Acqua. Frammenti di vita di Sergio Atzeni (2015) by Daniele Atzeni, and Q&A with Gigliola Sulis, Ricordando Sergio Atzeni - Guspini, 13.11.2015 @7pm, screening of Madre Acqua by Daniele Atzeni, and Q&A with Daniele Atzeni and Gigliola Sulis; Series Autunno d'autore - Nuoro, 20.11.2015 @7pm, Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico della Sardegna (ISRE), screening of Madre Acqua. Frammenti di vita di Sergio Atzeni by Daniele Atzeni, and Q&A with the director Daniele Atzeni, Gigliola Sulis, Antioco Floris, Alessandro Stellino - Siliqua, 16.01.2016 @6pm, Monte Granatico, Per scommessa, per caso, per errore. Ricordi di Sergio Atzeni: screening of Madre Acqua by Daniele Atzeni, reading by Bachisio Bachis, music by Francesco Bachis, talk by Gigliola Sulis; series I libri aiutano a leggere il mondo (see: https://www.facebook.com/madreacqua/info/?tab=page_info) |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRbhzyR0wlo |
Title | Sergio Atzeni racconta Is Mirrionis [Sergio Atzeni's stories of Is Mirrionis] |
Description | Talk/theatre event by and with G. Sulis (researcher) and Elio Turno Arthemalle (director/actor), Cagliari, 14/10/2011 at the festival 'Al centro le periferie', (Cagliari, Italy, 12-15/10/2011) |
Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
Year Produced | 2011 |
Impact | Raised awareness of the positive role of peripheries/slums of the city of Cagliari in the storytelling of Sergio Atzeni, first in local artists such as the theatre director and actor E. T. Arthemalle, and then, with his performance, in theatre-goers and citizens. |
Title | The Island and the World. Sardinian Identity in Contemporary Literature, Music, and Cinema |
Description | Sardinia at Twilight, 1st May 2015 A multi-media event at the Howard Assembly Room at Opera North, Leeds (http://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/sardinia-at-twilight), co-organised by Gigliola Sulis (Italian, University of Leeds), Jo Nockels (Project Manager, HAR/Opera North), and Stefano Salis (cultural journalist, 'Il Sole 24 Ore', Milan): 1. Sardinian-Scottish-Bulgarian concert by Sardinian-born folk singer and guitarist Elena Piras (http://elenapiras.com); see the video of the concert: http://elenapiras.com/livitaly-sardinia-at-twilight/ 2. Pre-concert talk by Elena Piras, with world music journalist Andy Morgan, and Gigliola Sulis; the talk focused on the singer's artistic interpretation of the traditional heritage of her native island, and on her journeys through other music traditions, such as the Bulgarian one and the Scottish one. See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvrF17TBsA8 3. Screening of Michelangelo Antonioni's film 'Deserto rosso' (1964), parts of which are set in Sardinia. Review: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/info/125180/livitaly_bringing_italian_culture_to_yorkshire/2190/events/13 The event is part of 'LivItaly. Bringing Italian Culture to Leeds' (www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/livitaly) and of 'DARE. The Pioneering Collaboration between Opera North and the University of Leeds' (http://www.dareyou.org.uk ) Co-funded by HAR/Opera North and Cultural & Creative Industries Exchange / Ignite 2013/14 (University of Leeds, £2,000) |
Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | The Sardinian event aimed at: 1. discussing the topics treated in the AHRC-funded project beyond the academic literary field, and informing the work of artists and journalists internationally; 2. expanding beyond Sardinia/Italy the debate on minority cultures in the glocal era, by exploring the singer's journey through the folk music of Sardinia, Bulgaria, Scotland and looking at the transnational dimension of a young, global artist; 3. engaging on these themes audiences (theatre-goers, cinema-goers, concert-goers) in the UK, via both the concert and the self-reflective talk; 4. encouraging Leeds theatre Howard Assembly Room at Opera North at exploring Italian music culture beyond its centres; 5. reinforcing the links between the academic research carried out at university and the broader audiences of the city of Leeds. |
URL | http://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/sardinia-at-twilight |
Title | Un amico a Babele [A friend in Babel] |
Description | A multi-media performance based on texts by Sergio Atzeni, with live electronic music and painting, by Giacomo Casti (voice; project), Francesco Medda Arrogalla and others (music), Gianluca Marras Marjani (painting). The show has been already performed at various events in Sardinia and Italy (2015-2016). |
Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | I acted as a consultant for the selection of text, for the understanding of the atmospheres and of the social environments described in them (urban peripheries, the sea), and of the writer's poetics and ideology in the representation of urban space. The artists involved in the project filtered this part of my research and reinterpreted according to their own sensibility, thus granting new life to Sergio Atzeni's stories. |
URL | http://comune.guspini.vs.it/www/SezioniPrincipali/Community/Notizie/ArchivioNotizie/2015/2015-10-12_... |
Description | The AHRC-funded research allowed me to systematise and further enrich previous research done on the Sardinian writer Sergio Atzeni (1952-1995) and on Sardinian literature and culture in the second half of the 20th century. More specifically: 1. The first comprehensive monograph on Atzeni (1952-1995) is almost completed, and ready for publication in late 2016. It looks at: biography; paths in poetics (ethnic identity; the postmodern novel and the fragmentation of the text; orality and storytelling linguistic experimentation); analysis of variants of major novels; complete bibliography; complete critical bibliography. 2. the post-colonial interpretative framework was confirmed as appropriate [see book chapter: Sulis 2012] 3. a new take on Italian internal post-colonialism was proposed (this allows to read contemporary Sardinian fiction as a case study of the processes of 'internal post-colonialism' within the Italian and European national cultural, artistic and literary context, and Sardinia as a case of 'internal Other' for the Italian national identity); 4. Thanks to the analysis of Atzeni's work, a change of paradigm of Sardinian self-representation was highlighted: Atzeni sees Sardinia as 'cross-road island', and not anymore as 'prison-island' (Febvre, 1922). Atzeni's interpretation of Sardinian post-modern ethnic identity has become highly influential for younger writers, hence the number of collaborations and public engagement activities that have developed from the initial project; 5. new insights on Italian postmodern fiction (esp. historical novel) were provided, thus contributing to the opening of the Italian literary canon to peripheral voices; 6. Atzeni's use of Sardinian as an element of his multilingual Italian narrative prose is analysed as an artistically refined and intellectually thought-provoking contribution to the debate on the future of Sardinian as an endangered minority language. I have published two original and well-received book chapters, which focuses on one aspect of the research done (Sulis 2012, Sulis 2015). The publication of the monograph has been delayed due to the unexpected abundance of new material discovered and to the difficulties in accessing part of this new material (old computer files). At the same time, the request for public debates, talks, classes in schools, events with artists, participation in book festivals and radio programmes, collaboration with Sardinian institutions contributions to online blogs and magazines increased exponentially, and well beyond the energies and time available for an academic. At that point, I agreed with my university to postpone the publication to after the closure of the REF2013, in order to have both monograph and impact activities ready for the next round of the Research Exercise Framework. Many outreach, impact and knowledge-transfer events have taken place in 2015, the year of the 20th anniversary of the writer's death. I have started the blog www.sergioatzeni2015.org, in which plan to store some of the materials collected during the research that cannot be incorporated in a monograph, but which will be of interest to the general public, to artists, and to intellectuals. The blog also works as a hub for the initiatives devoted to the writer. |
Exploitation Route | After this phase of the work - and the unexpected findings in terms of archival research- I plan to apply for funding both from the AHRC Follow-on Funding Scheme and to the Fondazione Banco di Sardegna (Cagliari) for a joint project with IT-experts to: 1. recover and make available in a digital platform all the archive of Sergio Atzeni, including the word-files saved from his laptop; 2. study and find solutions for the problem of the obsolescence of IT-documents over the years, which is changing very rapidly the methods of work for philologists. This is a new area of research, on which little work has been done to date. A very good example I am looking at as a source for inspiration is the recent critical edition of the work of German writer Heinrich Böll. |
Sectors | Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
URL | http://www.leparoleelecose.it/?p=7524 |
Description | The AHRC-funded project proved of interest for writers, artists, journalist, and cultural operators, at local, regional, national and international level. Details of the outputs are provided in the section on Artistic and Creative Products and Engagement. Here are the main areas developed: A) Collaboration with artists on the theme: the writer and his town: Cagliari and Sergio Atzeni. E.g.: 1. 'Sergio Atzeni racconta Is Mirrionis', talk/theatre event by and with G. Sulis (researcher) and E. T. Arthemalle (actor/director), 14/10/2011, for the festival 'Al centro le periferie'12-15/10/2011 2. 'Madre Acqua' [Water Mother] (2015), Film/Biopic by director Daniele Atzeni. Partially funded by Regione Autonoma della Sardegna (RAS), €10,000 3. 'The Island and the World'. Sardinian at Twilight - music, literature, and cinema event on Sardinia at Opera North theatre in Leeds, co-organised by Opera North and the University of Leeds, 2015 4. 'Un amico a Babele' [A friend in Babel] (reading/concert/performance by Giacomo Casti and others), 2015 B) Atzeni and Sardinian identity Another area in which my project had an impact is the understanding of the complexities of Sardinian identity over the last 30 years, from a socio-political point of view. For example, on the basis of my studies on Atzeni and the postmodern Sardinian identity, I was asked in 2014 to analyse and comment on the sections on culture and education of the candidates to the elections for the Sardinian Regional Government. I was also contacted by the mayor of the city of Cagliari to work together on projects that link better the figure of Atzeni and the city he wrote about, and develop awareness both of the writer's worth and of the quality of the city, both for the inhabitants of Cagliari and for its tourists. The Atzeni/peripheries day for Monumenti Aperti in 2015 and 2016 (Heritage Day) is a first step in this direction. Many public lectures, talks, and participations to roundtables on these themes took place in Sardinia and elsewhere in 2015,, the year that marks the 20th anniversary of the writers premature death (see the 'Engagement' section). . The blog www.sergioatzeni2015.org) and the 3-day conference at the university of Bologna (September 2015) have also acted as catalysts and hubs for these and other initiatives. Yet, it should be stressed that it is not easy to find a balance between the production of the academic outputs and the commitment to impact, knowledge-transfer events and collaborations. Different partners (e.g. academics vs. artists, vs. cultural operators) have different timescales for projects, different aims, and different financial issues, and this can create problems. A number of unpredictable factors can delay or even put a halt to this kind of collaborative projects. Furthermore, the international financial crisis has hit dramatically Sardinia (one of the poorest regions in Italy), and consequently funding for cultural projects has been cut, or reduced, or delayed (e.g. the funding for the biopic film, 'Water Mother'). Finally, the knowledge-transfer events and activities carried out as part of this project have been important in raising my profile as an expert in Sardinian/Italian fiction, internationally. E.g. I have been asked to have a regular blog on social-cultural topics in the Sardinian 'Tiscali' platform (declined due to lack of time), and to write regularly for the Italian literary blog 'Le parole e le cose' (the collaboration started with an article on Atzeni), and for Sardinian magazines and newspapers (e.g.'Sardinews', 'SardiniaPost', 'La Nuova Sardegna', 'L'Unione Sarda'). My expertise on Atzeni and contemporary Sardinian/Italian fiction caught the attention of the editors of the 'Times Literary Supplement', who asked me a review of the English translation of fiction by the Sardinian author/politician Luigi Pintor; this started a new collaboration on broader literary and cultural themes, which is still ongoing. |
First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
Description | Visiting Professorship at the University of Cagliari (Italy) |
Amount | € 16,000 (EUR) |
Organisation | Regione Autonoma della Sardegna (RAS) [Sardinian Regional Government] |
Sector | Public |
Country | Italy |
Start | 03/2013 |
End | 07/2013 |
Description | L'identité sarde du XXIe siècle / 21st-century Sardinian Identity |
Organisation | Paris West University Nanterre La Défense |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I co-organised with colleagues from Paris the study day on contemporary Sardinian identity, and I gave doctoral lectures at the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Defense. |
Collaborator Contribution | Academic staff and PhD students from both the institutions (3 from Leeds) took part in the study day on contemporary Sardinian identity (11/12/2011), together with scholars and writers from other French, Austrian and Sardinian universities. The same group contributed to the volume 'L'identita sarda del XXIo secolo tra globale, locale e postcoloniale' (Nuoro: Il Maestrale, 2012). |
Impact | G.Sulis, 'Dalla resistenza anticoloniale alla condizione postcoloniale. La Sardegna di Sergio Atzeni', in S.Contarini, M.Marras, G.Pias (eds), 'L'identita sarda del XXIo secolo tra globale, locale e postcoloniale' (Nuoro: Il Maestrale, 2012) |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Osservatorio critico della narrativa sarda contemporanea [Monitoring centre of contemporary Sardinian fiction] |
Organisation | University of Sassari |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I have been invited to being a member of the scientific committee of this new research group, funded by the Sardinian regional government (Regione Autonoma della Sardegna). The aims of the 'Osservatorio critico della narrativa sarda contemporanea' [Monitoring centre of contemporary Sardinian fiction] are to map and then produce an online database of the novels and short stories of Sardinian setting published from the 1970s to our times. |
Collaborator Contribution | Contribution to the scientific coordination of the project, as an expert on Sergio Atzeni and modern Sardinian literature. |
Impact | The first international meeting took place at the University of Sassari (10-11/09/2015), but the work is still in progress. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Sergio Atzeni e le voci della Sardegna (conference, University of Bologna, 23-24.09.2015) |
Organisation | University of Bologna |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Sergio Atzeni e le voci della Sardegna [Sergio Atzeni and the Voices of Sardinia] I co-organised this two-day conference on Sergio Atzeni with my colleague Giuseppe Ledda at his own institution, the University of Bologna. Together, we devised the project, selected the contributors, and planned the series of events (see below). Other partners were: - Cineteca di Bologna (FIlm Archive) - FASI (Federazione dei Circoli dei Sardi in Italia) [Federation of the Associations of Sardinians in Italy] |
Collaborator Contribution | Together, we devised the project, selected the contributors, and planned the series of events (see below). In addition, the Bologna team took charge of the practical organisation of the two days. |
Impact | - Academic sessions > Peer-reviewed publication of selected papers in progress, eds Giuseppe Ledda and Gigliola Sulis (submission to Italian publisher Il Mulino (Bologna) in late Spring/early summer 2016; publication expected in 2017 ) - Final roundtable on the Italian publishing industry, the press, and the role of intellectuals with publishers (Ernesto Ferrero, Director of 'Salone del libro', Turin [Italian national book fair in Turin]) and journalists (Stefano Salis, 'Il Sole 24 Ore, Milan), 24.09.2015 - Readings by writers Francesco Abate, Alberto Bertoni, Ermanno Cavazzoni, Marcello Fois, Loriano Macchiavelli, Alberto Masala, Flavio Soriga, Paola Soriga, Simona Vinci, 23.09.2015 (free attendance - Theatre performances by Marta Proietti Orzella, Elena Pau, 23.09.2015 (free attendance) - Screening and Q&A of films inspired by Atzeni's novels at Cineteca di Bologna (Film Archive), followed by Q&A sessions with the directors and with G.Ledda and G.Sulis: Il figlio di Bakuninìn (1997, dir. Gianfranco Cabiddu), Bellas mariposas (2013, dir. Salvatore Mereu). The public paid the tickets, with a very good attendance. 24.09.2015 |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Article ('Sardinews', December 2011) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | This article is a report on Parisian study day on contemporary Sardinian identity I co-organised with colleagues at the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Defense. The online text was posted/shared in various website devoted to contemporary Sardinian culture, with special focus on social and political aspects of the debate on the island's identity. After this article, the online magazine 'Sardinews' asked me to continue the collaboration, and to report on other initiatives held internationally and focused on Sardinia (I had to decline the offer due to lack of time, but I suggest them topics to be treated, and send articles/reviews from time to time). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
URL | http://tottusinpari.blog.tiscali.it/2012/01/15/progetto-delle-universita-di-parigi-e-leeds-radiograf... |
Description | Article (La Nuova Sardegna, 15/10/2012) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Newspaper article on Sergio Atzeni for the Sardinian newspaper 'La Nuova Sardegna': Sulla terra leggeri, l'ironia e il disincanto di un poeta delle città (15/10/2012). I received emails and messages with requests for further information on the writers' activities I was contacted by the mayor of the city of Cagliari and asked to start a collaboration to help the city to celebrate the figure of Atzeni (postponed to 2015, for 20th anniversary of the writer's death) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
URL | http://lanuovasardegna.gelocal.it/regione/2012/10/14/news/sulla-terra-leggeri-l-ironia-e-il-disincan... |
Description | Collaboration with Cagliari Monumenti Aperti [Heritage Day] (2015, 2016) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | My work on Atzeni contributed to the decision of Cagliari City Council to give space to the urban peripheries in occasion of the annual 'Monumenti aperti' (Heritage Day). My research on Atzeni and his rootedness in the city is at the centre of the collaboration with the Cagliari City Council and the Department of Culture . More precisely, my study of the writer's focus on the (sub-)working-class periphery of Is Mirrionis is now discussed by a group made of artists, architects, residents, and local teachers; the first step of this collaboration will be the literary-architectonical pathway through Is Mirrionis in occasion of the yearly manifestation Monumenti Aperti (Open Monuments; 8th-9th May 2015), that since 1997 opens monuments and buildings to the general public, with presentations by volunteers, especially students from local schools (fully sponsored by the City Council). My contribution brought to the attention of the local authorities also the relevance in for the town identity of the council houses (case INA) and small squares (piazzette) of this area, now studied by architects as examples of the post-war architecture of the town (Cagliari was heavily bombed and destroyed in WW2). It is also contributing to the work of neighbourhood militant groups that aim at improving the reputation of the area, both from an insider and an outsider perspective. (http://www.monumentiaperti.com/it). 1. On 10.05.2015, a walk with residents, actors, architects and literary scholars was organised in the area where Atzeni grew up as a child and that inspired his stories, in the popular neighbourhood of Is Mirrionis: ' Alla scoperta di Is Mirrionis. Luoghi, storia e storie del quartiere, nei racconti di Sergio Atzeni e nei ricordi dei protagonisti' [For a discovery of Is Mirrionis. Places, history and stories of the neighbourhood, in the stories by Sergio Atzteni and in the memories of the protagonists]. Local cultural and political associations co-organised the event (Circolo Gramsci, Scuola Popolare). More than 100 participants left written feedback, on enthusiastic terms. A report on the day and its significance: http://sergioatzeni2015.org/2015/05/13/is-mirrionis-genesi-di-una-periferia-e-del-suo-barabba-piu-famoso-di-mario-gottardi/ 2. a similar event is now in preparation for 2016, preceded by a workshop on the literary and cinematic representations of the town: 'Cagliari attraverso il cinema e la letteratura' (21.04.2016), with me as a literary expert, Enrico Pau (film-maker), Gianni Olla (journalist), and in collaboration with the Sardinian Film Archive (Cineteca Sarda). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/1597654770516016 |
Description | Literary blog entry (2012) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | This 3,500-word article was requested as an entry for the literary blog 'Le parole e le cose'. 'Chi era Sergio Atzeni?' [Who was Sergio Atzeni?] provides the first introduction to the life and work of Sergio Atzeni for the general public, and as such it has received a high number of accesses and re-posts in social media. - Invitations to provide other entries for the influential Italian literary blog 'Le parole e le cose' - Invitations to talk about Atzeni in schools and in public events (postponed to 2015) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
URL | http://www.leparoleelecose.it/?p=7524 |
Description | Non-academic book chapter (2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was interviewed for a collection of interviews on Sergio Atzeni. They appear in a non-academic book, aimed at the presenting the writer and his personality to lay readers: Carola Farci, 'Sergio Atzeni: un figlio di Bakunin' (Cagliari: Cuec, 2015), pp.85-90. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.cuec.eu/2015/04/26/sergio-atzeni-un-figlio-di-bakunin/ |
Description | Sergio Atzeni pages for 'L'Unione Sarda' newspaper (2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This is a collaboration with the the director of the cultural pages of the Sardinian newspaper 'L'Unione Sarda', Francesco Abate. We planned a series of articles on Sergio Atzeni for the whole year 2015, as an homage to the most important writer from Cagliari in the 20th anniversary of his death: Vent'anni senza Sergio Atzeni. I wrote the introductory articles ('Atzeni: Il narratore dell'Isola', 10.02.2015, and 'Sulle pagine dell'Unione la passione dello scrittore', 11.02.2015), and then liaised with other contributors (Abate himself, Jenny Atzeni, Ernesto Ferrero, Giuseppe Marci, Giorgio Pisano, Giancarlo Porcu). This regular presence of Atzeni in the most read Sardinian newspaper developed an interest in the writer's work and his interpretation of Sardinian-ness in broader audiences. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://sergioatzeni2015.org/2015/03/08/ventanni-senza-sergio-sulle-pagine-de-lunione-sarda/ |
Description | Talk (Cagliari Capitale Cultura, 2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I took part in a roundtable entitled 'Cagliari chiama Europa', held in Cagliari (27.09.2015), as as part of the series of events devoted to Sergio Atzeni in the 20th anniversary of his death, 'Filastrocca di quando buttavano a mare i tram'. The roundtable brought together me a a literary expert, an urban sociologist (Ester Cois, University of Cagliari), a writer (Paola Atzeni), a musician (Flavio Secchi) and a journalist (Cristiano Bandini). Based on Atzeni's stories, the theme discussed was the European and international dimension of the town of Cagliari at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, and what image of Europe is available if looking at it from one of its many peripheries. The event was one of the initiatives sponsored by the local council in the year 2015, that saw Cagliari as one of the Italian 'capitals of culture'. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.cagliari2015.eu/eventi/i-progetti-rete-quando-buttavano-mare-i-tram |
Description | Talk (Cagliari Marina Cafe Noir, 2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I took part in a roundtable in memory of Sergio Atzeni, in occasion of 'Signora libertà', 13th edition of the literary festival Marina Café Noir (Cagliari, 06.09.2015). The event was entitled 'Un ricordo, uno ancora. Sergio Atzeni e un altro 6 settembre', and had as participants me as a literary expert, Walter Porcedda (journalist), Daniele Atzeni (film-maker), Francesco Abate (writer and journalist), and Giacomo Casti (performer, festival organiser). In the evening: Reading/Concert/Live Painting con Giacomo Casti, Fancesco Medda Arrogalla, Gianluca Dessì e Gianluca Marras Marjani). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.marinacafenoir.it/public/marina_cafe_noir2015.pdf |
Description | Talk (Carloforte, Sardinia) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I took part in an event organised on Atzeni as a writer, together with bookshop owners, librarians, literary translators and film makers, in the Sardinian island of Carloforte (04.09.2015 @7pm). The title of the event was 'Lo scrittore e i suoi libri' [The writer and his books], participants: Gigliola Sulis, Paola Mazzarelli, Gianfranco Cabiddu, Rocco Pinto; part of 'Omaggio a Sergio Atzeni a vent'anni dalla morte', [Homage to Sergio Atzeni, 20 years after his death] 4-6.09.2015. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/860045500748782/permalink/862216910531641/ |
Description | Talk (Dessì Literary Prize, 2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I gave a paper at the roundtable 'Mariposas. ricordo di Sergio Atzeni a vent'anni dalla scomparsa', held in Villacidro (VS), 19.09.2015@10am, as part of the events to mark the 30th edition of the Italian National Literary Prize "Giuseppe Dessì". The seminar brought together to discuss Sergio Atzeni me and Giuseppe Marci (University of Cagliari) as literary experts, together with politicians (Franciscu Sedda, Sardinian independentist party), and Paolo Lusci as representative of the publishing industry. The debate was followed by the performance 'Un amico a Babele' by Giacomo Casti and Francesco Medda Arrogalla, for which I acted as consultant. After this event, I was invited to become a member of the jury of the 'Giuseppe Dessì' Literary Prize, starting from the 2016 edition. See: http://www.fondazionedessi.it |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.fondazionedessi.it/FGD_Pagine_A/FGD_Programma_PL2015.html |
Description | Talk (Fiera del Libro della Sardegna, 2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave the inaugural address for the Sardinian regional book fair (Fiera del libro della Sardegna, 18.12.2015). Since the event is organised by the Sardinian Publishers' Association, the audience was mainly made of professionals working in the regional publishing industry. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Talk (Mostra regionale del Libro, 2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave the inaugural address for the Sardinian regional book fair (Mostra regionale del libro, 18.12.2015). Since the event is organised by the Sardinian Publishers' Association (Associazione Editori Sardi), the audience was mainly made of professionals working in the regional publishing industry. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.sardegnareporter.it/91671-2/ |
Description | Talk (Salone del Libro Off, Turin 2012) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The talk prolonged and expanded the discussion on Sergio Atzeni as a public intellectual, and on the role of public intellectuals in the Italian society of the 1970-1990s and nowadays (thus, going beyond the strictly literary sphere). 'Sergio Atzeni polemista' [Sergio Atzeni as a journalist and commentator]: a public talk I gave together with actors, musicians, publishers, journalists), in Turin, on occasion of the cultural events linked to the Salone del Libro (Italian National Book Fair), 10.05.2012 After this talk, I was asked to contribute an article to the literary blog 'Le parole e le cose', which is now cited also in academic work. I also had various proposal for further collaborations, which I have now postponed to 2015. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
URL | http://www.nazioneindiana.com/2012/05/02/azione-atzeni/ |
Description | Talk (Salone del Libro, Torino 2015 [Italian National Book Fair in Turin]) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I co-organised and spoke at the event held at the Salone del Libro, Turin, 16.05.2015 @4pm, in memory of Sergio Atzeni: Spazio Autori: Sergio Atzeni: vent'anni di ininterrotta presenza (sezione: Grandi ospiti) (co-organiser and speaker, with Stefano Salis, Marcello Fois, Claudia Firino, Daniele Atzeni, and a preview of Madre Acqua. Frammenti di vita di Sergio Atzeni, by Daniele Atzeni ). Sardinian Regional Politicians were there and agreements were made to fund other similar initiatives in Sardinia. The presence of Sardinia was arranged around the name and the work of Sergio Atzeni, in collaboration with the Associazione Editori Sardi (AES) [ Association of Sardinian Publishers]. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.salonelibro.it/it/component/eventlist/details/8346-Sergio-Atzeni-Ventanni-di-ininterrotta... |
Description | Talk (Universita' della Terza Eta' (Mogoro, Sardinia), 2011) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public lecture at Universita' della Terza Eta' (Mogoro, Sardinia) [University of Continuing Education, Sardinia) 11.02.2011 The lecture was followed by a long Q&A session and debate on what it means to be Sardinian and/or Italian and/or European in our globalised times. - Increased interest in reading the work of Sergio Atzeni among participants - Higher level of understanding of the complexities inherent in the definition of ethnic identity |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | Talk (Uri library, 2015) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was invited to give this public lecture on Sergio Atzeni and his representation of Sardinian identity at the local library in the Sardinian village of Uri (SS), on 28.11.2015, as part of the literary festival 'Sulla terra leggeri'. The talk was followed by a lively Q&A session on the writer, his national and international appeal, and his work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.sardegnareporter.it/bulzi-sulla-terra-leggeri-il-festival-in-biblioteca-domani-incontro-c... |