Mattotti’s calla lily blooms in Bologna and projects Italy into Frankfurt 2024

Among the stands of Bologna Fair, a 'physical' debut was made by the poster created by Lorenzo Mattotti and inspired by the motto "Roots in the Future", which marks Italy's participation in the next Frankfurt Book Fair. There could not have been a better opportunity to present the signature piece of Brescian master of contemporary illustration to an audience of professionals and experts.  

The image of the girl on the calla lily, reading a book and opening up to the world, did not leave spectators indifferent at the major international fair for children and young people's books. In fact, many paused with curiosity and admiration before the printed panel placed near the Italian Publishers Association (AIE) stand, taking photos and selfies.

Extraordinary Commissioner of the Government Mauro Mazza said that "the calla lily girl in the poster fully embodies the spirit with which Italy will return as the protagonist of the Book Fair after 36 years: with a book in her hand, she prepares to face the world and the future without fear, embrassing it wholeheartedly." In Bologna, right in front of the 'Roots in the Future' panel, Commissioner Mazza met and thanked Mattotti for his work. This is an opportunity for an exchange of views on the finished work that we will get used to seeing in the newspapers, on television and on the streets of Italy and Germany in the coming months.  

Speaking about his collaboration with Italy Guest of Honour, Master Mattotti said: "Mauro Mazza seemed to me to be a decisive person who is open to cooperation and is curious about my proposals. Mattotti also explained the poster's origin: "Once I decide and try different paths, my ideas started to take shape through drawing." The Brescian artist added: "When we talk about 'roots,' the tree is automatic but obvious. It’s better to try other paths." 

From this observation came the idea of the flower, more precisely the calla lily that blooms and grows. In this way, Mattotti thought of representing "the future of a girl who reads." He said that "the shape of the flower that embraces and supports her was the winning idea," highlighting its "delicate architectural nuance and positive luminosity." The girl and the calla lily embody the future, but have roots. The image speaks for itself: as Mattotti observed "the layers of soil can evoke historical eras, the past we have in our land, in our landscape." The result is a form of 'soft power,' a definition that does displease the author.

The image is perfect for the fair dedicated to children and young people's books and content,  a flourishing market for Italian publishing, with sales growing by 2.1% in 2023 compared to the previous year, as documented by AIE data. This improvement is in line with what has been achieved in recent decades with the gradual reduction of the import/export gap in the sale of rights.  

The latest sector data from the Italian publishing market and the general international appeal of Italian books and content for children and young people were at the heart of the two panels organised at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair from Italy Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2024 and curated by AIE.  

Interest in the upcoming Italian participation in the Book Fair was also demonstrated by the presence in the Emilia-Romagna capital of a delegation of German journalists specialising in the field, to whom Extraordinary Commissioner of the Government Mauro Mazza stressed the importance that children and young people's books will have in Frankfurt's editorial programme. 

The Commissioner explained that he conceived this genre as "a primary form of companionship that does not prepare one for loneliness but for being together with others."  Data shows that children are still reading between the ages of 4 and 14, while the habit diminishes as they grow.  

According to Mazza, this scenario highlights that "young readers don't become avid readers when they grow up, but rather poor readers." For the Commissioner, this is due to many factors, but above all to an attention span problem "as our lives are now tuned into Instagram posts and X tweets, and this inhibits young people becoming adults from reading."   

However, the success of children and young people's books, confirmed by the extraordinary participation in the annual edition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, leads to optimism about the possibility that this sector will succeed in becoming the antidote to abandoned reading among teenagers and young adults.