Reading Silone today carries readers back in time to a tumultuous social era. His work invited readers then as now
to ponder the question of social justice posed at the conclusion of Fontamara- What is to be done?
 (Courtesy Maria Moscardelli, www.amici-silone.net) |
Silone began his literary vocation in the 1930’s a hunted man, a disillusioned soon-to-be expelled member of the Communist Party, exiled in Switzerland and fighting fascism with a typewriter. After achieving literary success with the publication of the novel Fontamara, Silone, an unschooled writer, experimented with style in a collection of short stories published in English as Mr. Aristotle. His subsequent novels Bread and Wine and The Seed Beneath the Snow written in the mid 30’s and early 40s are referred to today as The Abruzzo Trilogy. Returning to Italy after the war, Silone addressed postwar disillusionment and spiritual awakening in his fifties fiction, A Handful of Blackberries and The Secret of Luca. His search for a redemptive “ideology” lead him in the 1960’s once more to traverse the mountain roads of his home province to research the life of 13th century Pietro da Morrone, the beloved Abruzzo hermit who became Pope Celestine V. |
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Silone’s portraits of village life are rife with wicked irony, unrelenting tragedy, at times delicious comic elements and tacit hope. Good souls and bullies, mystery men and buffoons, snakes, doves, donkeys, and foxes - Silone’s characters remain universal.
Join fellow travelers for a week long literary retreat in a remote, breathtakingly beautiful mountain burgh dedicated to preserving Abruzzese history. Participants will read and discuss the works of 20th-century writer Ignazio Silone and enrich the experience through immersion in the land of the people who inspired him.
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This seminar is open to readers new or experienced with Silone’s work as well as those wishing to - • to connect with their Abruzzo roots
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In good company with local wine and great food, participants will have a unique opportunity to discuss The Abruzzo Trilogy (read prior to arrival), and then read and discuss the smaller writings of Silone in centuries old rooms of Sextanio’s Albergo Diffuso and the quiet stone piazze of the village.
During the week participants can expect to engage in
• Guided daily discussion each morning
• Private reading time each day
• Excursions to Silone’s birthplace in Pescina, Celestine’s hermitage of Sant’ Onofrio, and related WWII historical sites
• Nightly group dinner and informal discussion
Whether you are a new or experienced reader of Silone, you will find this literary travel experience enhanced by our location in Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
For more detailed information, answers to your questions, and to enroll, e-mail Helen.
