Interview with Simone Caltabellota (Edizioni di Atlantide)

In its interview column, newitalianbooks shines a spotlight on new and emerging publishing houses on the Italian scene. In this episode, we meet Simone Caltabellota, editorial director and co-founder—together with Francesco Pedicini, Flavia Piccinni, and Gianni Miraglia—of Edizioni di Atlantide, which will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2025.

We started by asking him, ‘How would you describe the identity of Edizioni di Atlantide to readers of newitalianbooks abroad? What are its characteristics and strengths?’

Edizioni di Atlantide was founded in 2015 with the idea of publishing Italian and foreign literary texts from the present and the past that are outside the realm of fashion and convention. Over the past ten years, we have discovered (and rediscovered) unique voices, both contemporary and from the 20th century. I would say that the main characteristic of an Atlantide book lies precisely in its uniqueness and originality, in the targeted choice of works that are ideally “timeless” and therefore able to speak to readers (both today and tomorrow) in new ways. In this sense, absolutely unique voices of today such as Tiffany McDaniel, Sheena Patel, Naoise Dolan and Pierre Adrian are found alongside almost forgotten or underrated masters such as Robert Nathan, Matila Ghyka and Colin Wilson and, as far as Italian writers are concerned, works that are far from the strict canons of genre, such as those by Matteo Trevisani, Nada Malanima and Margherita Loy.

Which literary and non-literary gambles have worked best in Italy and possibly in other countries, and why, in your opinion?

At Atlantide, we are not afraid of gambling on quality and originality, regardless of the outcome abroad, and sometimes, precisely because our books are unlike those published by other publishers, we find ourselves enjoying unexpected success. A prime example of this is Tiffany McDaniel, now an international bestselling author, whom we published in a world premiere and who was successful in Italy before anywhere else. Her The Summer That Melted Everything has become one of the most beloved books of recent years among Italian readers, and only after some time was the author “discovered” elsewhere, to the point that today she is unanimously recognised as one of the most original living American writers and enjoys extraordinary success in both America and Europe.

In general, what I notice in Italian, European and American publishing is a fear of straying from the beaten track, which is exactly what Atlantide does, both in terms of Italian and foreign authors.