Destination Frankfurt: culture is the opposite of solitude

The Italian presence at the Book Fair was discussed at the “1988–2024, Italy in Frankfurt” meeting, which truly embodied the motto “Roots in the future” in a dialogue between extraordinary Commissioner Mauro Mazza—involved in organising next October's event—and Stefano Rolando—former head of the Department for Information and Publication of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. In a counterpart role, Rolando oversaw our country’s first participation in the Fair in Germany in 1988, a year that also saw the birth of the Turin International Book Fair, with historical and significant synchronicity.  

Other times, many stories: Giulietta Masina, ambassador of our cinema, meeting the new German cinema; Umberto Eco presenting Foucault's Pendulum; an Italian Pavilion, then inspired by the international success of The Name of the Rose and built by the Cinecittà masters, the “papier-mâché buffoons” as the detractors dubbed them at the time. Nevertheless, no house of cards has ever had such good fortune. Back then, translation rights for eight or ten Italian titles were sold in Germany per year, but today the numbers are much higher. As Stefano Rolando attests, it all began with the first difficult bet, which was won with acclaim. 

The “courage of creativity” that entered the stage at the time, and was rewarded with great success, is what Commissioner Mauro Mazza hopes for today, which in addition to the pragmatism necessary to address the urgency of such a commitment, also demands the sacrosanct right to imagination, because the window-on-the-world book is, and remains, at the centre of everything. 

The culture, creativity and imagination that are part of our country's DNA, creativity as a form of rebellion and sometimes improvisation is made possible by the strong substrate, the ”foundation and credibility together to move forward" as Mazza emphasises, stating: ”I would like to see an Italian culture that is creative, of course, interesting, intriguing, appreciated, even in its serenity. I would like an Italy that appears to be consciously smiling.” 

So imagine, Commissioner Mazza, the girl on the lily, immersed in reading, in Lorenzo Mattotti’s masterful illustration to represent Italy Guest of Honour 2024 in Frankfurt, disembarking from her floral armchair and going out into the world with her book, to meet other readers, to share a passion comprised of the stuff of which dreams are made, and of words capable of weaving dialogues that can influence the quality of civil and democratic life.  

Imagine a culture of encounters, Extraordinary Commissioner for Italy Guest of Honour in Frankfurt: in a large Italian piazza designed by the Boeri studio as opposed to the ivory towers where it is pointless and counterproductive to seek refuge. The Commissioner assures us that ”they'll be some surprises”. “The company of a good book is a form of relational life,” he says, and Frankfurt will be the place where endless fruitful relationships blossom. 

The other concept and recurring theme to be proposed in Frankfurt, the Commissioner stresses, refers to the ability of culture to bridge ideas, peoples, past and future: 

"A culture that unites where politics divides and weapons oppose, where contrasts prevent common strength in Europe”. That’s not all. Mazza added: ”One thing I’m going to ask my colleagues is to approach this event with curiosity, without prejudice and blinkers. In October, after 36 years, we are back in Frankfurt as guests and it is nice to think that yes, we have changed a lot, but the fascination for Italy that abounded in Germany and Europe at that time can be repeated and renewed this year too, perhaps even strengthened.” 

Great intellectuals such as Dacia Maraini and Claudio Magris will return to Frankfurt for the second time and meet young people who were not yet born as the Berlin Wall came down, the baton holders of an Italy that is confidently meeting the protagonists of the international cultural scene. Italy is like an open book where you can read about the changes that anticipate tomorrow, but also trace the paths of artistic production rooted in the past, from the origins of printing to the great tradition that at times seems to be more appreciated abroad than in our own country. Nemo propheta in patria, but so many prophets in Frankfurt, so: a strong and attainable wish. 

With more than two hundred events, one hundred authors, music, film, art, theatre, photography and gastronomy, Italy will bring out the best to share with the general public because, again in the Commissioner’s words, ”culture is the opposite of solitude”. Culture, then, is an important vehicle not only in an individual's life, but also in international relations because there is a cultural economy, beyond the monetary one, from which relations between countries can be nurtured. So, here we are, feeding the ”widespread desire for Italy” with food for thought for our creativity.