Italian Nobel Prize for Literature recipient Grazia Deledda celebrated at QNL

In celebration of Italian author and Nobel Prize for Literature recipient Grazia Deledda, Qatar National Library (QNL) hosted a public talk - 'From Nuoro to Doha, a Tribute to Grazia Deledda' - on December 7.
The event, organised by the Province of Nuoro and Obiettivo LLC, was the last one of a year-long celebration in honour of Deledda’s 150th anniversary,
The event was introduced by Laura Bertuccioli, CEO of Obiettivo LLC, followed by institutional greetings by Constantine Tidu, extraordinary administrator of the Province of Nuoro.
Talking about the importance of cultural exchange, Bertuccioli said: “I am honoured to have been part of this wonderful event, celebrating a remarkable woman and author from my home country, Italy. I believe celebrating different cultures brings us all closer together and I am really happy to see such great welcoming by local audiences here in Qatar”.
The anniversary celebrations saw events organised across the globe, counting Athens, Brussels and New York, among its locations, and culminating in Qatar on the grand stage of the World Cup.
Alessandro Aramu, Italian journalist and organiser of the year-long celebrations, said: “The event in Qatar is the last in the rich programme of initiatives that has lasted over a year. It was a unique project that paid attention to every aspect of an outstanding author who had the undoubted merit of turning the world spotlight on Sardinia, thanks to unforgettable texts with strong emotional impact."
During the event, renowned Italian author Valeria Pecora delved into Deledda’s work and highlighted her influence on Italian and international literature, discussing her literary style, analysing some meaningful excerpts in Italian and English, and parallelisms between Deledda and Arabian authors.
Pecora said about Deledda’s importance: “Grazia Deledda is the best-known Sardinian writer in the world. This tenacious and passionate writer allowed millions of readers to get to know Sardinia, especially Nuoro, her hometown, and the places she described and loved deeply”.
The public who attended the event had the opportunity to experience the Sardinian culture so beautifully described in Deledda’s work through some of the island's typical food and traditional clothing. Music also played an essential role during the event, with musician and researcher Gavino Murgia transporting the audience to a different time with a performance of traditional instruments and ancient sounds, so important in Sardinian culture.
To culminate the event, the organisers donated the book 'Grazia Deledda', written by Dino Manca, to QNL, inviting the local public to learn more about the author and enjoy her writing.