Time travel and dystopian futures, escapes and extinctions, mundane objects that plunge human beings into disorienting experiences: these are some of the elements that characterise the three finalists of the second edition of the Mondofuturo Literary Award, a competition that rewards the best original, untranslated science fiction book published in Italy in 2024. The initiative, promoted and organised by the Area Science Park national research institute and La Cappella Underground, was created with the aim of arousing public interest in research, scientific culture and literature, using science fiction as a catalyst for attention.
This year’s three finalists – Anticaja Canaglia by Cobol Pongide and Emiglino Cicala (Edizioni Progetto Cultura), Cronache dalla deriva by Carlo Roselli (Zona 42) and Nero. Il complotto dei complotti by Luca Giommoni (effequ) – explore objects and themes related to the world of scientific research, while maintaining a brilliant creative vision: from time travel to the use of artificial intelligence, from teleportation to aliens and laser guns.
“It’s only the second edition, but the leap in quality and participation compared to the first is remarkable: many more novels, great vision, imagination and science intertwined, writing skills in the invention of often surprising narratives,‘ said Nicoletta Vallorani, President of the Jury of Experts, adding, “As Le Guin says, writers invent stories, not facts: that’s why they are called fiction. But then these stories reveal a lot about the real world, and that makes them valuable.”
The finalists were selected from among 19 works in competition by a jury of prominent figures from the worlds of literature, research and journalism, including Nicoletta Vallorani (jury president), Loredana Lipperini, Alberto Garlini, Giulia Martino, Andrea Viscusi, Angela Bernardoni, Elisabetta Di Minico, Dottor Pira and the Collettivo Scrittori FantaTrieste. The three finalist books are now in the hands of a jury of scientists consisting of about 50 researchers working in Area Science Park, supported by an honorary scientific jury including Caterina Petrillo, Giovanna Fragneto, Fabio Pagan, Fabrizio Brancoli, Giovanni Covone and Stefano Liberati.
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