KARACHI: Italy will be participating in four sessions at the 7th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), the most important of which is the official launch of the award, ‘Italy reads Pakistan’ where, according to Italian Consul General Dr Gianluca Rubagotti, a contemporary Pakistani novel written in Urdu or English by a young writer will be translated into Italian. The winner of the award is to be announced at the KLF next year.

At a press conference held at a local hotel on Monday evening, Dr Rubagotti said the objective of the award was to find common sources between the literatures of Italy and Pakistan and felt they were not far apart. He said two scholars from his country — Andrea Berrini and art critic and curator Sabiana Paoli — would participate in different sessions. He said when the two were contacted by him they excitedly accepted the invitation to be part of the KLF and even agreed to extend their stay in Pakistan. “They will give lectures and talk to students of two universities,” he said, adding that it would strengthen the people-to-people contact between the two countries.

The reason for introducing the award, Dr Rubagotti said, was that Italy was a superpower in the fields of art and culture. He said the country had the highest number of Unesco recognised historical sites which would increase in the time to come. Italian institutions and the Italian embassy in Pakistan wanted Italy back on the map of Pakistan, he said. This would give a clear image of both countries for which a strong partner was needed, therefore the award was being launched, he said.

He informed the media about Andrea Berrini, as well as the publishing company Metropoli d’Asia which has been translating novels by Asian writers. He said when he invited Mr Berrini to Pakistan the scholar said yes because he was aware of the lively cultural literary scene here.

Dr Rubagotti said the Italian ambassador to Pakistan would be present in the session of the award launch. He said he’d like to call the award a journey. Giving details of the award, he said it would be given to a contemporary novel by a young Pakistani author. First a jury in Pakistan would shortlist novelists after which an Italian jury would decide on the winner, he added.

He said the award was “peculiar” in comparison to other awards because it would be given to an upcoming writer whose work was unpublished or published in Pakistan in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, in English or Urdu. The setting of the novel should be contemporary and the story preferably set in a big city. There was a cash prize for the winner along with access to Italy, and maybe the rest of Europe too.

Dr Rubagotti said the biggest community of Pakistani nationals in continental Europe lived in Italy, so the award would bridge the gap between perceptions of the two nations. The aim, according to him, was also to get expose the Italian public to present-day Pakistan.

Oxford University Press managing director and founder of KLF Ameena Saiyid said she was delighted that Italy had joined the KLF as one of its partners. She was of the view that the award introduced by Italy was a “wonderful initiative” that would open up Pakistani literature to readers in Italy. It would also open the door for Pakistani authors to the rest of Europe, as a slice of Pakistan would enter Europe. Ms Saiyid said it would project a new, positive image of Pakistan in the region and create understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries.

Speaking on the other sessions involving Italy, Ms Saiyid said there would be one on Italian art moderated by Quddus Mirza. Then there would be a session on revisiting the Iqbal-Dante question with participants including Andrea Berrini, Dr Nomanul Haq and Afzal Syed. Finally, there would be a session titled ‘How publishers bring out the best’ in which Mr Berrini would be speaking with Pakistani publishers.

Art critic Fawzia Naqvi thanked the Italian consulate and Ameena Saiyid for holding an event on art at the KLF. She said Sabiana Paoli was a world renowned curator.

Writer Bina Shah said she would be moderating the session on the award launch, with panellists including H.M. Naqvi and Mr Berrini.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2016