(August 9, 2017) “Italian Inspirations”, the literary cycle promoted by the Italian Institute of Culture in London, is back. After Hanif Kureishi, Sarah Dunant, Lisa Appignanesi and Aamer Hussein, guest of the fifth encounter will be Ben Okri, talking about Italo Calvino’s works on September 6. Next events will follow on Wednesdays, September 20, October 4 and 18.“Italian Inspirations” is a series of eight encounters in which a prominent British or UK-based author talks about an Italian writer – either classic or contemporary – whose work they especially admire. Curated and moderated by Boyd Tonkin, each event will take the shape of an informal conversation about the ways in which writers read, and respond to, their great precursors or their distinguished contemporaries. Boyd Tonkin is literary critic for the Financial Times, Economist and Spectator, and former literary editor of The Independent. He is a special advisor to the Booker International Prize for which he was also chair of the judges in the 2016. (Red)