This site uses technical, analytics and third-party cookies.
By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies.

Preferencescookies

Header, site navigation

Italian alphabet: the story of Italian publishing
Portal of the Italian language

Italian alphabet: the story of Italian publishing

Categories: Culture and creativity -Literature and Publishing
From A for Agenzie letterarie to Z for Zibaldone, a portrait of independent publishing in Italy via the alphabet.
Alfabeto italiano
SLFM_Alfabeto_Italiano OKpng

Edited by Laura Pugno

 

Alfabeto italiano is a series of podcasts in four languages – Italian English German and French – that talks to the world. It consists of 12 double episodes of 50 minutes, each divided into a first and a second part lasting 25 minutes. Each letter of the alphabet has a key word, and each episode presents two leading figures in the Italian literary world: authors, publishers, booksellers, cultural operators … We look forward to welcoming you on the #italiana Vimeo channel, storielibere.fm and on yours favourite listening app.

Publishing houses both very young and dating back centuries, urban and rural, names focusing on a single topic and brands extending to the farthest corners of the planet will take it in turns to play their part in building an ideal path towards two events in which Italy plays a leading role: the Paris Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair, with Italy guest of honour in 2024.

The creative team

Maria Teresa Carbone is the creator of Alfabeto italiano

Journalist, author and translator, Maria Teresa Carbone has been following Italian and international publishing for many years. She also writes about literature, photography and cinema, holds journalism courses in Italian and foreign universities and is involved in reading education. Her latest publication is Che ci faccio qui? Scrittrici e scrittori nell’era della postfotografia (Italo Svevo 2022). Moreover, she has written I luoghi della memoria (Dedalo 1986), 99 leggende urbane (Mondadori 1990), 111 cani e le loro strane storie (Emons 2017) and the collection of poems Calendiario (Aragno 2020). Out in May 2022, for the Italo Svevo publishing house, Che ci faccio qui. Writers in the post photography era. Her translations include works by Joseph Conrad, Breyten Breytenbach, Zoë Wicomb, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Virginie Despentes and Jean Baudrillard. She produces Alfabeto italiano for the Monteverdelegge Association.

Rossana Di Michele from Storielibere.fmWritten by voice is the producer of the Alfabeto italiano.

Rossana De Michele is a director, producer, author and television and radio manager.  She has worked for leading broadcasters, including RAI, Mediaset, SKY, Viacom, Gruppo Editoriale l’Espresso. As a documentary filmmaker, she made Prog Revolution in 2015, presented at the Trieste Film Festival. Her most recent work is Fernanda Pivano, l’altra America, 2017. In November 2017, together with Gian Andrea Cerone, she founded Storielibere.fm, one of the first Italian podcast platforms, which recently reached 12 million downloads, of which she is currently Managing Director.

Alfabeto italiano is also accompanied by photos and videos by GFrame Studio / Giovanni Corsi and Giulia Novelli. Laura Pugno collaborated for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Veronica Buscarini and Giovanna Surace for Storielibere in the editorial office.

THE ALPHABET

A for Agenzie letterarie (Literary Agencies)

  • The great mediators; a look at an increasingly crucial role

B for Bambini (Children)

  • one of the most successful publishing segments abroad (and the leading international event, the Children’s Book Fair in Bologna)

C for Catalogo (Catalogue)

  • how publishing house catalogues change

D for Disegni (Drawings)

  • the importance of illustration, the boom in manga and comics

E for Esordienti (Beginners)

  • hearing new voices, the lifeblood of tomorrow’s publishing

F for Festival

  • meeting places and cultural and commercial exchanges

G for Grafica (Graphics)

  • the beauty of book covers, the role of Italian designers

H for Hobby

  • cooking, sea (and gardening, etc.) increasingly significant “niche” markets

I for Idee (Ideas)

  • books as vehicles for the circulation of knowledge

K for Know How

  • an overall view of Italian publishing

L for Libreria (Bookstore)

  • the importance of personal contact, in Italy and abroad

M for Mondo (World)

  • large and small bridges between Italy and the planet

N for News

  • books on the counter, intuition and experimentation

O for Orecchie (Ears)

  • the boom of audio books (also an opportunity to learn Italian?)

P for Premio (Prize)

  • an essential showcase in Italy and abroad

Q for Quarta di copertina (Back Cover)

  • the business card of a book, sometimes a veritable literary genre

R for Redazione (Editorial staff)

  • how the heart of the publishing house works (but is it still like this?)

S for Scuola (School)

  • studying with books, studying how to make books

T for Tradurre (Translate)

  • no longer invisible and increasingly important, translation seen from abroad

U for Ufficio stampa (Press Office)

  • communication on books, what is the secret?

V for Virtuale (Virtual)

  • what we mean when we talk about digital

X for X-Small

  • a one-man or one-woman show, tiny publishing houses

Y for YA (Young Adults)

  • publishing for the transitional age, a crucial time

Z for Zibaldone

  • the great classics, ever new

Browse the articles