University of Foggia: Romano Luperini's lectio on "literature and crisis"

The University of Foggia has hosted on Thursday 12th May Prof. Romano Luperini, who has held a lectio on "literature and crisis."




Who's Romano Luperini, though?

He is professor of Modern and Contemporary Italian literature at the University of Siena. Additionally, he teaches at the University of Toronto.

During the years of Autunno caldo (1969-70), he was member of the far left movement (sinistra extraparlamentare).



Romano Luperini established with Luciano della Mea the "Lega dei Comunisti Pisani", an organization which will then flow into Democrazia Proletaria.

Let's get back to the Prof's lectio.

I had never been before at Department of Humanities of University of Foggia before.

The building is renewed and well kept.

The auditorium is plenty of students, though.

I walk towards the teaching post hunting for a seat.

Unfortunately, none of the seats are free, so I follow the example of those students who sit on the floor.

Suddenly, a guy hands me out a seat. "What a gentleman!" I think to myself.

If I had been a woman I'd have fallen in love with him.

According to the newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, the University of Foggia is one of the best performing Public Universities of the South of Italy.

In fact, it's placed in the 36th position on a national scale, whereas in Apulia Lecce is 51st and Bari 60th.







"Crisis (from the Greek word κρíσις) means transformation. Nowadays, modernity and crisis correspond, in the sense that today things change quickly, whereas, for example, in the Middle Age permutations would have occurred after decades or even centuries." Prof begins.

According to Prof. Luperini, modernity from a literature perspective, includes writers such as Verga, Svevo, Gadda, etc.

Post-modernity coincides with globalization. Therefore, it refers to the last 3 decades.

Today, we are experiencing the hyper-modernity.

The digital revolution which occurred between '70ies and '80ies has completely transformed the capitalistic economy.

Previously, western economies were connotated by goods. Today, by language.

Prof Luparini continues "Nowadays, the intellectuals are not needed anymore. In order to understand facts or events, TV calls to debate specialized people such as psychologists, sociologists and so on."




"In Italy, the cult book of the hyper-modern society is Gomorra. This book has been wrongly connotated as neorealista. However, the language of Gomorra is different from neorealismo." He says.





"Just to be clear, Saviano is a journalist. So, fading the role  of intellectuals in society, it's the entire literary civilization to die." The prof. adds.

"During the modernity times, the intelligentsia, compounded by 200/300 intellectuals, were able to affirm the promotion of a book, the rise of an intellectual. This role is now played by television."

In my opinion, internet is partly dethroning television in this sense.

"My students who graduated over the last 15 years, have all of them migrated abroad to work. Indeed, it's emerging a new figure of intellectual, which may be personified by Giulio Regeni, who was doing a Cambridge PhD." Prof. Luperini states.

"Today, the dispute between rich vs poor countries will indelibly mark the destiny of humanity. However, we may expect something new, unpredictable by the alliance of people like Giulio Regeni and immigrants' sons who study in Italy. These two categories, combined, have a great potential, and may be able to surprise us." 

A long and clangorous applause erupts at the end of his speech.

I'm glad for having taken part to this event.

I have got so many inputs to think about.

Thanks Professor, thanks University of Foggia.