Italian poetry unquestionably still enjoys high prestige internationally, probably greater than that attributed by most readers buying books of poetry and the critics writing for literary journals in Italy.

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi is without a doubt the most translated book in world literature.

“Inner cosmopolitanism” is a characteristic feature of Alba de Céspedes, a polyglot writer and traveller, who always paid close attention to her dealings with publishers and translators, showing great awareness. Her works, which are sometimes abridged, cut and/or changed to adapt them to the different reading audiences in other countries and cultures, have been translated in twenty-nine countries and into twenty-four languages throughout the world.

Simona Cives runs the translation centre of Rome’s public library system, the Casa delle Traduzioni, as well as being in charge of the system’s cultural activities section. She has published articles and essays on library economics and literature.

Pilar Adón was born in Madrid in 1971. She is the author of three collections of short stories (La vida sumergida, El mes más cruel and Viajes inocentes), two novels (Las efímeras and Las hijas de Sara) and three collections of poems (Las órdenes, Mente animal and La hija del cazador). She translates from English and, together with Enrique Redel, runs Impedimenta.

Nicola Lagioia (born 1973) has been running the Turin International Book Fair since 2018. A novelist, editor and radio show host, he has published several novels, including Riportando tutto a casa (Einaudi, 2009), winner of the Vittorini, Volponi and Viareggio prizes, and La ferocia (Einaudi, 2014), winner of the Strega Prize in 2015. He has a new novel, which will be published by Einaudi this autumn.

“Every year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation purchases books for the libraries of Italian schools and institutes abroad and awards prizes and grants for the translation of Italian books throughout the world…”

There is a long history of the presence of Italian literature in Poland, dating back to the Renaissance.