The Strega Prize ( ) is the most important Italian

literary award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded Literature, literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award c ...

. It has been awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction written in the Italian language by an author of any nationality and first published between 1 March of the previous year and 28/29 February.

History

In 1944

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

and Goffredo Bellonci started to host a literary

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

at their home in Rome. These Sunday gatherings of writers, artists and intellectuals grew to include many of the most notable figures of Italian cultural life. The group became known as the ''Amici della Domenica'', or ‘Sunday Friends’. In 1947 the Belloncis, together with Guido Alberti, owner of the firm which produces the

Strega Strega, the Italian word for ''witch'', may refer to: *Strega, a group of pagan magic users who are part of the protectors of Venice in the Heirs of Alexandria series by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, and Dave Freer *Stregheria, or the Strega traditi ...

liqueur, decided to inaugurate a prize for fiction, the winner being chosen by the Sunday friends. The activities of the Bellonci circle and the institution of the prize were seen as marking a tentative return to ‘normality’ in Italian cultural life: a feature of the reconstruction which followed the years of Fascism, war, occupation and liberation. The first winner of the Strega, elected by the Sunday Friends, was

Ennio Flaiano Ennio Flaiano (5 March 1910 – 20 November 1972) was an Italian screenwriter, playwright, novelist, journalist, and drama critic. Best known for his work with Federico Fellini, Flaiano co-wrote ten screenplays with the Italian director, includi ...

, for his first and only novel '' Tempo di uccidere'', which is set in Africa during the

Second Italo-Abyssinian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Italy against Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Ita ...

. It has been translated into English as ''A Time to Kill'' and ''The Short Cut''. Maria Bellonci published a history of the Strega prize, titled ''Come un racconto gli anni del premio Strega'', in 1971.

Selection process

Since the death of Maria Bellonci in 1986, the prize has been administered by the ''Fondazione Maria e Goffredo Bellonci''. The members of the now 400-strong prize jury, drawn from Italy’s cultural elite, are still known as the Sunday Friends. For a book to be considered, it must have the support of at least two Friends. This initial long list is whittled down at a first ballot to a short list of five. The second round of voting, followed by the proclamation of the victor, takes place on the first Thursday in July in the

nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' (Latin : ''nymphaea'') or ''nymphaion'' (), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

of the

Villa Giulia The Villa Giulia is a villa in Rome, Italy. It is named after Pope Julius III, who had it built in 1551–1553 on what was then the edge of the city. Today it is publicly owned, and houses the Museo Nazionale Etrusco, a collection of Etruscan ...

, Rome.

Sponsorship

Telecom Italia TIM S.p.A. (formerly Telecom Italia S.p.A.) is an Italian telecommunications company with headquarters in Rome, Milan, and Naples (with the Telecom Italia Tower), which provides fixed, public and mobile telephony, and DSL data services. It is ...

joined Liquore Strega as sponsors of the prize.

Premio Strega speciale, 2006

In 2006, the sixtieth year of the Strega Prize, a special award was made to the

Constitution of Italy The Constitution of the Italian Republic () was ratified on 22 December 1947 by the Constituent Assembly of Italy, Constituent Assembly, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against, before coming into force on 1 January 1948, one century after the p ...

, a document which was drawn up and approved in 1946, the year of the Strega’s inauguration. The award was received by former

President of the Italian Republic The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The presid ...

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (; 9 September 1918 – 29 January 2012) was an Italian politician who served as President of Italy from 1992 to 1999. A member of Christian Democracy (DC), he became an independent politician after the DC's dissolution in 1 ...

Winners

*1947 –

, '' Tempo di uccidere'' *1948 – Vincenzo Cardarelli, ''Villa Tarantola'' *1949 – Giambattista Angioletti, ''La memoria'' *1950 –

Cesare Pavese Cesare Pavese ( ; ; 9 September 1908 – 27 August 1950) was an Italian novelist, poet, short story writer, translator, literary critic, and essayist. He is often referred to as one of the most influential Italian writers of his time. Early ...

, '' La bella estate'' *1951 –

Corrado Alvaro Corrado Alvaro (15 April 1895 – 11 June 1956) was an Italian journalist and writer of novels, short stories, screenplays and plays. He often used the '' verismo'' style to describe the hopeless poverty in his native Calabria. His first suc ...

, ''Quasi una vita'' *1952 –

Alberto Moravia Alberto Pincherle (; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990), known by his pseudonym Alberto Moravia ( , ), was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia i ...

, ''I racconti'' *1953 –

Massimo Bontempelli Massimo Bontempelli (12 May 1878 – 21 July 1960) was an Italian poet, playwright, novelist and composer. He was influential in developing and promoting the literary styles known as magical realism and lombard line. Life Massimo Bontempe ...

, ''L'amante fedele'' *1954 –

Mario Soldati Mario Soldati (17 November 1906 – 19 June 1999) was an Italian writer and film director. In 1954, he won the Strega Prize for ''Lettere da Capri.'' He directed several works adapted from novels, and worked with leading Italian actresses, s ...

, ''Lettere da Capri'' *1955 –

Giovanni Comisso Giovanni Comisso (3 October 1895 – 21 January 1969) was an important Italian writer of the twentieth century, appreciated by Eugenio Montale, Umberto Saba, Gianfranco Contini and many others. Life Comisso was born in Treviso, where, during ...

, ''Un gatto attraversa la strada'' *1956 –

Giorgio Bassani Giorgio Bassani (Bologna, 4 March 1916 – Rome, 13 April 2000) was an Italians, Italian novelist, poet, essayist, editor, and international intellectual. Biography Bassani was born in Bologna into a prosperous Jewish family of Ferrara, where h ...

, ''Cinque storie ferraresi'' *1957 –

Elsa Morante Elsa Morante (; 18 August 1912 – 25 November 1985) was an Italian novelist, poet, translator and children's books author. Her novel '' La storia'' (''History'') is included in the Bokklubben World Library List of 100 Best Books of All Time. L ...

, ''

L'isola di Arturo ''Arturo's Island'' () is a novel by Italian author Elsa Morante. Published in 1957, it won the Premio Strega. Plot synopsis In the novel, Arturo, a small boy, grows up on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples. The island is the location o ...

'' *1958 –

Dino Buzzati Dino Buzzati-Traverso (; 14 October 1906 – 28 January 1972) was an Italian novelist, short story writer, painter and poet, as well as a journalist for ''Corriere della Sera''. His worldwide fame is mostly due to his novel '' The Tartar St ...

, ''

Sessanta racconti ''Sessanta racconti'' ("sixty stories") is a 1958 short story collection by the Italian writer Dino Buzzati. The first 36 stories had been published previously, while the rest were new. Subjects covered include the horror and surreality of life in ...

'' *1959 –

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Giuseppe Tomasi, 11th Prince of Lampedusa, 12th Duke of Palma, GE (23 December 1896 – 23 July 1957), known as Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (), was a Sicilian writer, nobleman, and Prince of Lampedusa. He is most famous for his only novel, '' ...

, '' Il gattopardo'' *1960 –

Carlo Cassola Carlo Cassola (17 March 1917 – 29 January 1987) was an Italian novelist and essayist. His novel '' La Ragazza di Bube'' (1960), which received the Strega Prize, was adapted into a film of the same name by Luigi Comencini in 1963. Bibliogra ...

, '' La ragazza di Bube'' *1961 –

Raffaele La Capria Raffaele La Capria (3 October 1922 – 26 June 2022) was an Italian novelist and screenwriter. His second novel, '' Ferito a morte'' (''Mortal Wound)'', won Italy's most prestigious literary award, the Strega Prize, and is today considered a c ...

, ''Ferito a morte'' *1962 –

Mario Tobino Mario Tobino (16 January 1910, Viareggio, Province of Lucca, Tuscany – 11 December 1991, Agrigento) was an Italian poet, writer and psychiatrist. A prolific writer, he began as a poet but later wrote mostly novels. His works are characterize ...

, ''Il clandestino'' *1963 –

Natalia Ginzburg Natalia Ginzburg (, ; ; 14 July 1916 – 7 October 1991) was an Italian author whose work explored family relationships, politics during and after the Fascist years and World War II, and philosophy. She wrote novels, short stories and essays, f ...

, '' Lessico famigliare'' *1964 –

Giovanni Arpino Giovanni Arpino (27 January 1927 – 10 December 1987) was an Italian writer and journalist. Life Born in Pula, Croatia to Piedmontese parents, Arpino moved to Bra in the Province of Cuneo. Here he married Caterina Brero before moving to Turin, ...

, '' L'ombra delle colline'' *1965 –

Paolo Volponi Paolo Volponi (6 February 1924 – 23 August 1994) was an Italian writer, poet, and politician. Biography Volponi was born on 6 February 1924, in Urbino, Italy. He joined the Italian partisans in 1943. He studied law at Urbino University, w ...

, '' La macchina mondiale'' *1966 –

Michele Prisco Michele Prisco (18 January 1920 – 19 November 2003) was an Italian journalist, critic, and novelist. Prisco was born and educated in Torre Annunziata. His family provided the middle-class background central to many of his books. He studied ...

, ''Una spirale di nebbia'' *1967 –

Anna Maria Ortese Anna Maria Ortese (; June 13, 1914 – March 9, 1998) was an Italian author of novels, short stories, poetry, and travel writing. Born in Rome, she grew up between southern Italy and Tripoli, with her formal education ending at age thirteen. H ...

, ''Poveri e semplici'' *1968 –

Alberto Bevilacqua Alberto Bevilacqua (27 June 1934 – 9 September 2013) was an Italian writer and filmmaker. Leonardo Sciascia, an Italian writer and politician, who read Bevilacqua's first collection of stories, ''The Dust on the Grass'' (1955), was impressed ...

, ''L'occhio del gatto'' *1969 – Lalla Romano, ''Le parole tra noi leggere'' *1970 – Guido Piovene, ''Le stelle fredde'' *1971 – Raffaello Brignetti, ''La spiaggia d'oro'' *1972 –

Giuseppe Dessì Giuseppe Dessì (7 August 1909 – 6 July 1977) was an Italian novelist, short-story writer and playwright from Sardinia. His novel ''Paese d'ombre'' won the 1972 Strega Prize and was translated into English as ''The Forests of Norbio''. Dessì ...

, ''Paese d'ombre'' *1973 – Manlio Cancogni, ''Allegri, gioventù'' *1974 – Guglielmo Petroni, ''La morte del fiume'' *1975 – Tommaso Landolfi, ''A caso'' *1976 – Fausta Cialente, ''Le quattro ragazze Wieselberger'' *1977 –

Fulvio Tomizza Fulvio Tomizza (26 January 1935 – 21 May 1999) was an Italian writer. He was born in Giurizzani di Materada in Istria, to a middle-class family. His mother was Margherita Frank Trento, born into a poor family of Slavic extraction. His father, ...

, ''La miglior vita'' *1978 –

Ferdinando Camon Ferdinando Camon (born 1935 in Montagnana) is a contemporary Italian writer. He is married to a journalist and has two sons: Alessandro Camon, a film producer/writer who lives in Los Angeles, and Alberto, who teaches criminal procedure and live ...

, ''Un altare per la madre'' *1979 –

Primo Levi Primo Michele Levi (; 31 July 1919 – 11 April 1987) was a Jewish Italian chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor and writer. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works i ...

, ''La chiave a stella'' *1980 – Vittorio Gorresio, ''La vita ingenua'' *1981 –

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian Medieval studies, medievalist, philosopher, Semiotics, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular ...

, ''Il nome della rosa'' *1982 –

Goffredo Parise Goffredo Parise (8 December 1929 in Vicenza – 31 August 1986 in Treviso) was an Italian writer, journalist, and screenwriter. He won the Viareggio Prize in 1965 for his novel ''Il padrone'' ''(The Boss)'' and the Strega Prize in 1982 for ''S ...

, ''Il sillabario n.2'' *1983 –

Mario Pomilio Mario (; ) is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Japanese video game company Nintendo. ...

, ''Il Natale del 1833'' *1984 – Pietro Citati, ''Tolstoj'' *1985 – Carlo Sgorlon, ''L'armata dei fiumi perduti'' *1986 –

Maria Bellonci Maria Villavecchia Bellonci (30 November 1902 – 13 May 1986) was an Italian writer, historian and journalist, known especially for her biography of Lucrezia Borgia. She and Guido Alberti established the Strega Prize in 1947. Biography Bello ...

, '' Rinascimento privato'' *1987 – Stanislao Nievo, ''Le isole del paradiso'' *1988 –

Gesualdo Bufalino Gesualdo Bufalino (; 15 November 1920 – 14 June 1996), was an Italian writer who lived in Sicily for most of his life. Biography Bufalino was born in Comiso, Sicily. His father was a blacksmith. He went to school in Ragusa and attended Univers ...

, ''Le menzogne della notte '' *1989 –

Giuseppe Pontiggia Giuseppe Pontiggia (; 25 September 1934 – 27 June 2003) was an Italian literature, Italian writer and literary critic. Biography He was born in Como, and moved to Milan with his family in 1948. In 1959 he graduated from the Università Cattoli ...

, ''La grande sera '' *1990 –

Sebastiano Vassalli Sebastiano Vassalli (24 October 1941 – 26 July 2015) was an Italian author. He wrote the 2007 novel ''The Italian (L'italiano)''. Vassalli was born in Genoa, Italy in 1941. His mother was from Tuscany and his father was from Lombardy. At a v ...

, ''La chimera'' *1991 –

, ''La strada per Roma'' *1992 –

Vincenzo Consolo Vincenzo Consolo (18 February 1933 – 21 January 2012) was an Italian writer. Consolo was born in Sant'Agata di Militello but resided in Milan from 1969 until his death. He began his literary career in 1963, but gained wider attention in 197 ...

, ''Nottetempo, ''casa per casa'' *1993 – Domenico Rea, ''Ninfa plebea'' *1994 – Giorgio Montefoschi, ''La casa del padre'' *1995 –

Mariateresa Di Lascia Mariateresa Di Lascia (3 January 1954 – 10 September 1994) was an Italian politician and writer, activist, human rights' supporter and advocate of non-violence. Biography Di Lascia was born in Rocchetta Sant'Antonio, Italy. She attended colleg ...

, ''Passaggio in ombra'' *1996 –

Alessandro Barbero Alessandro Barbero (born 30 April 1959) is an Italian historian and writer, especially essayist. Barbero was born in Turin, Italy. He attended the University of Turin, where he studied literature and Medieval history. He won the 1996 Strega ...

, ''Bella vita e guerre altrui di Mr. Pyle, 'gentiluomo *1997 –

Claudio Magris Claudio Magris (; born 10 April 1939) is an Italian scholar, translator and writer. He was a senator for Friuli-Venezia Giulia from 1994 to 1996. Life Magris graduated from the University of Turin, where he studied German studies, and has been ...

, ''Microcosmi '' *1998 –

Enzo Siciliano Enzo Siciliano (27 May 1934 – 9 June 2006) was an Italian writer, playwright, literary critic and intellectual. Siciliano was born in Rome. He was a collaborator of Alberto Moravia, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Elsa Morante and many other famous w ...

, ''I bei momenti '' *1999 –

Dacia Maraini Dacia Maraini (; born November 13, 1936) is an Italian writer. Maraini's work focuses on women's issues, and she has written numerous plays and novels. She has won awards for her work, including the Formentor Prize for ''L'età del malessere'' ...

, ''Buio '' *2000 – Ernesto Ferrero, ''N. '' *2001 –

Domenico Starnone Domenico Starnone (born 15 February 1943) is an Italian writer, screenwriter, and journalist. His work has been translated into English, German and several other languages. These include ''Prima esecuzione'' (2007, as ''First Execution'', 2009 ...

, ''Via Gemito '' *2002 –

Margaret Mazzantini Margaret Mazzantini (; born 27 October 1961) is an Italian-Irish writer and actress. She became a film, television and stage actor, but is best known as a writer. Mazzantini began her acting career in 1980 starring in the cult horror classic '' ...

, ''Non ti muovere '' *2003 – Melania Mazzucco, ''Vita'' *2004 – Ugo Riccarelli, ''Il dolore perfetto '' *2005 – Maurizio Maggiani, ''Il viaggiatore notturno '' *2006 – Sandro Veronesi, ''Caos calmo'' *2007 –

Niccolò Ammaniti Niccolò Ammaniti () is an Italian writer, winner of the Premio Strega in 2007 for '' As God Commands'' (also published under the title ''The Crossroads''). He became noted in 2001 with the publication of '' I'm Not Scared'' (''Io non ho paura'' ...

, '' Come Dio comanda'' *2008 –

Paolo Giordano Paolo Giordano (born 1982) is an Italian writer who won the Premio Strega literary award with his debut novel, first novel ''The Solitude of Prime Numbers (novel), The Solitude of Prime Numbers''. Biography Paolo Giordano was born on 19 Dec ...

, '' La solitudine dei numeri primi'' *2009 – Tiziano Scarpa, ''Stabat mater'' *2010 – Antonio Pennacchi, ''Canale Mussolini'' *2011 – Edoardo Nesi, ''Storia della mia gente'' *2012 – Alessandro Piperno, ''Inseparabili'' *2013 – Walter Siti, ''Resistere non serve a niente'' *2014 –

Francesco Piccolo Francesco Piccolo (born 1964) is an Italian author of novels, short stories and screen plays. In 2014, he won Italy's leading literary award the Premio Strega for ''Il desiderio di essere come tutti''. Life and career Piccolo was born in Case ...

, ''Il desiderio di essere come tutti'' *2015 –

Nicola Lagioia Nicola Lagioia (born 18 April 1973) is an Italian writer. Born in Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first m ...

, ''La Ferocia'' *2016 – Edoardo Albinati, ''La scuola cattolica'' *2017 –

Paolo Cognetti Paolo Cognetti (born 27 January 1978) is an Italian writer and filmmaker, winner of the 2017 Strega Prize. Biography Born in Milan, he initially studied mathematics at university, but quit to enroll at Milan's film-making school ''Civica Scu ...

, '' Le otto montagne'' *2018 – Helena Janeczek, ''La ragazza con la Leica'' *2019 –

Antonio Scurati Antonio Scurati (born 25 June 1969) is an Italian writer and academic. A professor of comparative literature and creative writing at the IULM University of Milan, mass media scholar, and editorialist for the ''Corriere della Sera'', Scurati has ...

, '' M. Il figlio del secolo'' *2020 – Sandro Veronesi, '' Il colibrì'' *2021 – Emanuele Trevi, ''Due vite'' *2022 – Mario Desiati, ''Spatriati'' *2023 –

Ada D'Adamo Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

, ''Come d'aria'' *2024 –

Donatella Di Pietrantonio Donatella di Pietrantonio (Arsita, January 5, 1962) is an Italian writer who is best known for her novels ''My Mother is a River'' and ''A Girl Returned (novel), A Girl Returned''. Life and career She was born in Arsita, in the province of Tera ...

, '

References

External links

Sito ufficiale del Premio Strega

Library of Congress

from the Strega Alberti company

(The official short biographies of the 11 finalists in the 2006 edition). {{Authority control Strega Prize, Awards established in 1947 Italian literary awards

1947 establishments in Italy