Here in Santo Stefano Belbo first editions, unpublished and original material celebrate 20th-century Italian literature and in particular the relationship between Cesare Pavese and Italo Calvino.
On the occasion of the Pavese Festival and of the centenary of Italo Calvino’s birth, on Thursday 7 September Fondazione Cesare Pavese in collaboration with Fondazione Mancini Carini inaugurated a new exhibition in the church of Saints James and Christopher. Here are now on display a series of first editions, original and unpublished materials that celebrate 20th-century Italian literature and in particular the relationship between Cesare Pavese and Italo Calvino, who was mentored by the former at Einaudi publishing house during the years 1945-1950. An integral part of the Pavese Festival, the related exhibition usually accompanies the activities of Fondazione Cesare Pavese in the following months.The exhibition
The exhibition is divided into three sections. The first, realized with Fondazione Mancini Carini and curated by Claudio Pavese, displays a series of Italo Calvino’s first editions, which he collected during the years, accompanied by some rarities related to Cesare Pavese. The second is dedicated instead to the Molina and Vaudagna collections, comprising Pavese’s unpublished and original material donated to Fondazione Cesare Pavese by the families of Oreste Molina, technical director at Einaudi, and Giuseppe Vaudagna, a high-school classmate and friend of the writer. Finally, the third collects some samples from the entire personal library of Lorenzo Mondo, a great Piedmontese journalist and intellectual passed away in April 2022, donated to the foundation by his family. The library includes over 5 thousand books of modern and contemporary literature with letters and inscriptions from the authors (among them Primo Levi, Eugenio Montale, Italo Calvino and many other big names of 20th-century literature), along with letters, notes and original documents, such as Cesare Pavese’s secret notebook.
During the exhibition, some samples of Fondazione Cesare Pavese collection will be displayed at Le Marne Relais in Costigliole d’Asti, in the room dedicated to Cesare Pavese.
The exhibition set up is realized by Fondazione Cesare Pavese in collaboration with Luigi Penna and Silvana Caligaris and with the contribution of Lasergi, a Santo Stefano Belbo-based company.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, sold both at our bookshop and online shop, e the publication by Fondazione Mancini Carini Un figlio della civiltà delle immagini. Viaggio nei libri di Italo Calvino featuring essays by Andrea Cortellessa, Marco Belpoliti and Domenico Scarpa.
Info
Pavese ospita Calvino
7 Spetember 2023 – 1 April 2024
Santo Stefano Belbo, Chiesa dei SS. Giacomo e Cristoforo
Piazza Luigi Ciriotti, 1
Inauguration: Pavese Festival, Thursday 7 September, 17.00
Free entry during our opening hours
Info: +39 366 7529255
