Friday, April 17 opens at 9:30 a.m. at the Auditorium Santa Margherita with the “Poets for Incroci” section, featuring Kim Simonsen (Denmark – Faroe Islands), Dmitrij Strocev (Belarus), and Juan Ignacio Siles del Valle (Chile – Bolivia), followed by Carol Ann Duffy (United Kingdom) and Jonathan Galassi.
Kim Simonsen, born in the Faroe Islands in 1970, is a writer and scholar whose work moves between literature, philosophy, and ecology, with a focus on ecocriticism, posthumanism, and the interconnections between nature, memory, and language. He will be introduced by Sara Culeddu.
Dmitrij Strocev, born in Minsk in 1963, is one of the most prominent voices in Belarusian literature in Russian; the author of numerous poetry collections, he is currently in exile in Berlin after being arrested in 2020 for taking part in protests in Belarus. He will be introduced by Giulia De Florio and Alessandro Farsetti.
Juan Ignacio Siles del Valle, born in Bolivia in 1961, is a poet, essayist, and career diplomat, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia and member of the Bolivian Academy of Language. He will be in conversation with Alessandro Mistrorigo.
Carol Ann Duffy, born in Glasgow in 1955, is one of the leading contemporary British poets; in 2009 she became the first woman appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. She has received major awards including the Dylan Thomas Award, the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Costa Book Award, and the PEN Pinter Prize. She will be introduced by Floriana Marinzuli and Laura Tosi.
Jonathan Galassi will be introduced by Mena Mitrano.
At 11:30 a.m., at the German Study Centre in Venice – Palazzo Barbarigo della Terrazza, Teresa Präauer (Austria) will be in conversation with Petra Schaefer. Born in Linz in 1979 and based in Vienna, Präauer is an award-winning writer; her novel Cooking in the Wrong Century was a literary case in German-speaking countries, shortlisted for both the Deutscher Buchpreis and the Österreichischer Buchpreis, and winner of the Bremer Literaturpreis.
In the afternoon, at 3 p.m. at the Auditorium Santa Margherita, Ibrahim Darghuthi (Tunisia) will speak with Andrea Facchin. Born in Tozeur in 1955, Darghuthi is one of the most significant writers in contemporary Tunisian literature, author of numerous novels and short story collections, known for his portrayal of the social realities of southern Tunisia and his engagement with controversial themes. His works have been translated into several languages and are studied in Europe and the Arab world.
Events at the Auditorium Santa Margherita continue at 5 p.m. with Abigail Assor (France – Morocco), Hajar Azell (France – Morocco), and Ève Guerra (France – Congo) in conversation with Julien Zanetta, addressing contemporary France from a multicultural perspective.
Abigail Assor, born in Casablanca in 1990, moved to Paris at seventeen and turned to writing and cinema after studying philosophy and sociology; her novels have received major awards and international translations.
Hajar Azell, born in Rabat in 1992, lives between Paris and Rabat and founded the online magazine onorient, dedicated to creativity in North Africa and the Middle East.
Ève Guerra, born in Congo in 1989, teaches classics and French; her debut novel, inspired by her life, won the Prix Goncourt for a first novel in 2024.
At 7 p.m., again at the Auditorium Santa Margherita, David Uclés (Spain), winner of the Incroci Giovani – Albero d’Oro Prize, will be in conversation with Adrián J. Sáez. Born in Úbeda in 1990, Uclés is a writer, musician, illustrator, and translator. His work, marked by magical realism, is currently being translated into seventeen languages; he recently won the 82nd Premio Nadal, and his latest novel has been one of the most notable publishing successes in Spain.
