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.

Matera, the European capital of culture 2019

Over the last days, the EU commissioners visited firstly Lecce in Apulia. Then, Matera in Basilicata.

Therefore, I asked myself: “Which city do you reckon is more entitled to be the European capital of culture 2019?”.

I have been thinking about it for a while. 

Then, firmly I replied to myself: “Matera, of course”.

I saw Matera for the first time four years ago.

As you probably are aware, Lucia, my partner, is from Altamura.

Altamura, located in Apulia, is just a bunch of miles from Matera.

So, Lucia has always described Matera as such a magic and inspiring town.

Therefore, I dated her in Matera, where we had a tasty pizza Napoletana. 

Soon after, we exchanged a tiramisù kiss ;-)

Nowadays, Matera is competing with Lecce and with other Italian cities such as Cagliari, Perugia-Assisi, Ravenna and Siena.

The reason for which I support the Matera candidature?

Well, in my opinion Matera has something unique I would say: i Sassi.

Basically, i Sassi are among the oldest housing units of the world.

The zone was already inhabited during the Paleolithic era.

Every time I come to Matera, I can’t refrain from contemplating i Sassi. 

It is like to visualize the history of Humanity. 

Matera is such an ancestral site.

Carlo Levi has written about the terrible hygienic conditions in which people of Sassi went through during the Fascist age. 

You find it in the Levi's cult book: Cristo si è fermato ad Eboli.

Book like this, contributed to create the cultural humus for people such as Rocco Scotellaro, poet of the peasant civilization.

I Sassi were portrayed during the 50ies as a “national shame”.

Soon after, more than 15.000 thousands people were relocated from i Sassi to new housing units.

For more than 30 years i Sassi had been completely neglected.

Then, in 1986 a national law funded the recovery of Sassi.  

I Sassi have been declared in 1993 world heritage by UNESCO.

Talking about cinema, many movies have been shot in Matera.

From my point of view, the most important one is the Pasolini’s The Gospel according to St. Matthew. 

This movie is considered by International cinema reviewers as the best one concerning the Jesus’s life.

Matera, but I would say the entire Basilicata, reminds Jerusalem, the holy land.

Mel Gibson has shot The Passion here. 

Additionally, Bruce Beresford has shot in 1980 King David, starring a young Richard Gere.

Over the last weeks, a Chinese crew of 60 people has just completed to shoot Marry me, which will be seen in China in February 2015. 

3.000 Chinese cinemas will show it.









Matera has an exciting cultural life.

Of course, the town is not just i Sassi.

Matera is pretty famous for its rupestrian churches, with stunning graffiti painted inside.

My opinion is that Matera has a genuine vocation to be the European capital of culture 2019.

The humanity sink roots in the Sassi.

Click here, should you wish to see more pics