L’Arte della Gioia (The Art of Joy) – The new IIC Book Club on the cult novel by Goliarda Sapienza

The Italian Cultural Institute is organising three meetings dedicated to Goliarda Sapienza’s novel L’Arte della Gioia (The Art of Joy). The IIC organises the Book Club to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the writer’s birth. The novel has just been adapted to the screen by Italian director and actress Valeria Golino in the series L’Arte della Gioia, casting Tecla Insolia and presented this year at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Art of Joy tells the gripping story of Modesta, a young girl in early 20th century Sicily who embarks on a journey of self-discovery, driven by a desire for a better life.

Born poor and trapped in a difficult life, Modesta – a name that sounds like a social condemnation – struggles to stand out. Having escaped a fire in which her parents and sister perish, she is taken into a nuns’ convent. But wherever she goes, the unscrupulous Modesta brings upheaval and revolution, driven by a desire to break free from the oppression of a life that others have decided for her.

Join the IIC Book Club to discover more about the figure of Goliarda Sapienza and read together in English and Italian the most beautiful pages of her book, as a masterpiece recently re-discovered by the critics.

Facilitator: Gaia Pasini, winner of a MAECI scholarship to work at the Italian Cultural Institute. She is a graduand in a Master’s degree in Italian Language and Culture for Foreigners at the University of Bologna (Italy). She has been studying the works of Goliarda Sapienza and has the passion and knowledge to communicate Italian literature to an international audience.

• Where: Brunetti Classico*, 380 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia (TBC, depending on the number of attendees). Food and beverages can be purchased at your expense.

• Dates: choose between Thursday evening sessions or Tuesday afternoon sessions starting from mid-August.

If you decide to attend the Thursday evenings, from 5.30 pm to 7 pm:

First meeting: August 22^th
Second meeting: August 29^th
Third meeting: September 5^th

If you decide to attend the Tuesday afternoons, from 2 pm to 3.30 pm:

First meeting: August 20^th
Second meeting: August 27^th
Third meeting: September 3^rd

• Fees
  For one meeting:
  $30 (Non-members)
  $25 (IIC members)

For the whole series:
$90 (Non-members)
$75 (IIC members)

Bookings
To sign up for the Book Club, send an email to: iicmelbourne@esteri.it