The Readers Prize

The awarding of the prize given by the Readers Society will take place on the 24th of June in the historic villa Burlamacchi Rossi in Gattaiola. It’s  a literary event with a particular structure. During the course of the precedent year, the members of the Readers Society select twelve books which are gradually published. The authors of the books are then invited to meet the members of the association, who in this way, have the opportunity to discuss together and go into more depth on the contents of their work. Generally the books are presented by figures from the world of culture who, for their specific skills, can make an interesting contribution to the discussion. In June, all the members of the Reading Society are called to choose the finalists and subsequently the winner amongst the books presented over the year. This prize is therefore awarded by a composite, careful and competent panel, who, being formed of simple readers, is not in any way connected to pressures from the publishing or academic world. The Readers Prize was founded in Lucca in 1988 under the initiative of Francesca Duranti, honorary president of the Readers Society. The idea of overturning the customary mechanisms involved in book presentations in order to allow a group of readers to choose the authors to be met, lead to the foundation of a Readers Society.
2011 edition finalists are: Davide Longo with the novel “L’uomo verticale” (Fandango), Francesca Melandri with “Eva dorme” (Mondadori) and Andrea Molesini with “Non tutti i bastardi sono di Vienna” (Sellerio).