pordenonelegge.it is one of the most important Italian literature festivals. It is held in September in Pordenone, a small but nice town situated less than sixty kilometres from Venice, in the region called Friuli Venezia Giulia. Pordenone, with its characteristic medieval centre, boasts the presence of an extraordinary audience keen on culture and literature every year.
Going from success to success, pordenonelegge.it is approaching its eleventh edition. Last year, during the three days dedicated to the festival, more than a hundred thousand people – of all ages and backgrounds - enthusiastically attended the one hundred and thirty events on the programme. It was a sort of peaceful and colourful invasion giving life to the city squares, cafes, historical palaces, restaurants and shops. From morning till late night, a real book feast.
Writers, philosophers, journalists, poets and artists take turns on an imaginary stage where there are no differences in roles but there is only the language of a culture facing the real problems of our time, for the sake of truth or vocation, or out of necessity.
pordenonelegge.it is also a place of dialogue among different disciplines and different views in the cultural world; after the professor, comes the writer, then the voyager and the sportsman; intense debates alternate shows, exhibitions, aperitifs with the authors. The aim being to bring the words everywhere, for a virtuous mixing of languages; a vital and “compromised” idea of culture. A new place for ideas, for words, stories and every form of creativity.
Among the international authors, the festival boasts: David Grossman, Richard Rorty, Erica Jong, J.M. Coetzee, Luis Sepulveda, Peter Singer, Claudio Magris, René Girard, Daniel Dennett, Mario Delgado Aparain, Tony Harrison, Ingo Schulze, O'Connor Joseph, Blake Morrison, Yoran Kaniuk, Matvejevic Predrag, Vladimir Bukovskij, Joanne Harris, Hari Kunzru, Ekkehart Krippendorff, Bella Achmadulina, Andrea Zanzotto, Niccolò Ammaniti, Jan Assmann, Gianni Vattimo, Luigi Meneghello, Erri De Luca, Vincenzo Cerami, Sebastiano Vassalli, Maurizio Maggiani, Helga Schneider, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Emanuele Severino, Giulio Giorello, Alessandro Baricco, Carlo Lucarelli, Giorgio Faletti, Michael Cunningham, Elizabeth Strout, Peter Sloterdijk, Slavoj Zizek, Gianrico Carofiglio, Margaret Mazzantini, Aldo Busi.
pordenonelegge.it is an event conceived and supported by the Pordenone Chamber of Commerce, through its special agency ConCentro, representing a constant reference point for all the organizational phases. A fundamental role is played by the Ente Fiera di Pordenone, which has been sponsoring the festival since its first edition. The Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, Pordenone Provincia and Comune also contribute towards the realization of the festival.
A special thank you to Fondazione Crup and Banca Popolare FriulAdria for their support.
We would also like to thank Cinemazero and all the local associations cooperating with us in this adventure.
