(24 October, 2016) Winner of the Premio Strega 2010, “Canale Mussolini” (The Mussolini Canal) is set in the years of the gentrification of the Pontine Marshes during the fascist era. The Albanian version of the Mussolini Canal will be presented by the author, Antonio Pennacchi, during a conference on October 25 at 11:00 in the Library of the Italian Cultural Institute in collaboration with the Dituria publishing house, moderated by Petrit Ymeri, the director. Antonio Pennacchi was born in Latina in 1950 from a family of farmers of Agro Pontino. He was labourer for nearly thirty years, working mainly night shifts. At the age of 44 in 1994- during a period on unemployment benefits – he completed a degree in Italian literature and wrote his thesis on Benedetto Croce. That same year, “Mammut” which was rejected by many publishing houses was released by Donzelli along with “Palude” in 1995 and “Una Nuvola Rossa” (A Red Cloud) in 1998 and “L’Autobus di Stalin e altri scritti” (Stalin’s Bus and other writings) with Vallecchi publishing house. In 2003 he publishes “Il fasciocomunista” with Mondadori publishing house for which he won the Premio Napoli and which inspired the film “Mio fratello è figlio unico” (My Brother is an Only Child). In 2006, still with Mondadori, he publishes a collection of stories titled “Shaw 150. Storie di fabbrica e dintorni”. In 2008 he published “Fascio e Martello. Viaggio per le città del Duce” with Laterza. In 2010 he published “The Mussolini Canal” with Mondadori, for which he received the Premio Strega in 2010. In the same year, he published “Le iene del Circeo” with Laterza. He collaborates with Limes and his work is available on Nuovi Argomenti, Micromega and La Nouvelle Revue Française.
