Mario Desiati’s ‘Spatriati’ won the 76th edition of the 2022 Strega Award with 166 votes. In the setting of the Nymphaeum of Villa Giulia in Rome, the presenter Geppi Cucciari awarded the winner of the prestigious literary recognition that is awarded every year to a book published in Italy.
Mario Desiati: “Original, different, fluid. Spatriates are all irregular, like me”
This year, for the first time, the finalist novels were not five, as per tradition, but 7. These are the other titles: ‘Niente di vero’ by Veronica Raimo (also winner of the Strega Giovani 2022 Award); ‘That cursed Vronskij’ by Claudio Piersanti; ‘Randagi’ by Marco Amerighi; ‘Nova’ by Fabio Baca ‘; ‘And then we will be saved’ by Alessandra Carati; ‘Nina sull’argine’ by Veronica Galletta.
Piersanti finished second with 90 votes; third Carati with 83 votes; fourth Raimo with 62 votes, fifth Amerighi with 61, sixth Baca ‘with 51 votes and seventh Galletta with 24 votes. The Strega prize, organized and managed by the Bellonci Foundation, was established in 1947 by Maria Bellonci and Guido Alberti, producer of the famous Strega liqueur to which the prize owes its name. In the past, great names in literature such as Elsa Morante, Umberto Eco, Dacia Maraini, Alberto Moravia and Cesare Pavese have received this important literary award, whose fame goes beyond national borders. Last year the Strega Prize was won by ‘Due vite’ by Emanuele Trevi who this year is the president of the jury.