Campiello Award to Giulia Caminito with "The water of the lake is never sweet"

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04 September 2021E 'Giulia Caminito with "The water of the lake is never sweet" (Bompiani) the winner of the Campiello Prize, now in its 59th edition.

The proclamation took place this evening at the Venice Arsenal.

Caminito obtained 99 votes out of 270 voters (30 members of the Readers' Jury - 300 in total - did not express preferences).

At the announcement, the 33-year-old winner burst into tears.

"I did not expect absolutely anything, certainly I did not think I would win. I dedicate my award to women, so that they can always have the opportunity to read and write anywhere".

In second place went Paolo Malagutti with "If the water laughs" (Einaudi) with 80 votes; at the third Paolo Neri with "Sanguina still. The incredible life of Fedor M. Dostoevskij" (Mondadori) with 37 votes; at the fourth Carmen Pellegrino with "The happiness of others" (La nave di Teseo) with 36 votes; fifth Andrea Bajani with "The book of houses" (Feltrinelli) with 18 votes.

Giulia Caminito was born in Rome in 1988 and graduated in Political Philosophy. He made his debut with the novel "La Grande A" (Giunti 2016, Bagutta Prize first work, Berto Prize and Brancati Young Prize), followed in 2019 by "Un giornocome" (Bompiani, Fiesole Under 40 Prize).

"The water of the lake is never sweet" (Bompiani 2021) is his third novel, which was among the five finalists of the Strega Prize, winning the Strega Off Prize. The book awarded with Campiello tells a story set in the town of Anguillara Sabazia, on Lake Bracciano, where Gaia lives, in which sharp shyness and suffocated anger are nourished by shame, the fatigue of an ungainly adolescence blossoms into violence and tenderness deforms into agony.

The final ceremony was conducted by Andrea Delogu flanked by the musician and actor Lodo Guenzi of the Social State. At the beginning, a memory and a tribute to Daniele Del Giudice, the Roman and Venetian writer by adoption, who passed away at the age of 72 last Thursday, after a long illness, to which Campiello for career was attributed this year.

Daniela Gambaro was awarded the Campiello Opera Prima Prize for the novel '' Ten stories almost true '' (Nutrimenti). President of the Jury of Literature of the 59th edition was Walter Veltroni.

The Venetian day of Campiello opened in the morning, at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, next to the Rialto Bridge, with the traditional press conference, during which the winner of the 26th edition of Campiello Giovani, the competition reserved for young people between 15 and 22 years old, organized by the Il Campiello Foundation - Confindustria Veneto.

Alice Scalas Bianco, 18 years old from Vigevano (Pavia), freshly graduated from classical high school, was awarded the prize with the short story "Portrait of Paris" chosen by the Jury of Literature from among the five short stories that reached the final. The other finalists of this edition of Campiello Giovani were: Salvatore Lamberti, 19 years old from Scisciano (Na), with the story "Roman", Shannon Magri, 22 years old from Castel Gabbiano (Cr) with the story "Kiyoshi in the storm", Martina Sangalli, 21 years old from Carugo (Co) with the short story "Blu colomba" and Camilla Tibaldo, 21 years old from Trecenta (Ro) with the short story "The similarity".

During the press conference, Riccardo Di Stefano, national president of the Young Entrepreneurs, also awarded the special mention of the Confindustria Youth Group for the best story that dealt with the theme of business culture. The mention was attributed to Lorenzo Molinetti, 21, from Chiavenna (So).