After announcing the birth of SuperBook in recent days, the new literary award designed to bring some of the most prized Italian books of the last year to the United States, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York has made known the names of the jury responsible for selecting the winning work.
The jury will be chaired by Daniele Rustioni, conductor and principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, alongside twelve active members from universities, publishing and U.S. cultural institutions. Among these Giulio Dalvit, curator of the Frick Collection; Ann Goldstein, a translator who contributed to the spread of contemporary Italian authors in the United States; Elizabeth Leake and Michael Moore of Columbia University; Iuri Moscardi from CUNY Graduate Center; Francesca Parmeggiani (Fordham University); Stefania Porcelli (Hunter College); Karen Raizen (Bard College); Michael Reynolds, executive editor of Europa Editions; Gabriella Romani (Seton Hall University) and Sara Vitale, book scout. The composition of the jury reflects a complete supply of the American publishing system, from the academic world to the translation world to the selection and publication of foreign titles.
In the United States translated books represent a reduced share of the publishing market – according to recurring estimates of the sector, between 3% and 5% of the published titles each year – and the Italian narrative, while supported by a strong tradition and by several internationally recognized awards, struggles to find its space in American libraries. SuperBook tries to overturn this constant, selecting and promoting a novel each year among the winners of the most important awards in the industry to promote its translation and circulation in the United States.
The prize, therefore, puts in competition eight books already recognized in the main Italian competitions, including those signed by Andrea Bajani, Teresa Ciabatti, Diego De Silva and Wanda Marasco. The authors will participate in a series of meetings at the Institute between 26 and 28 March and, on 29 March, an open event to the public at the Rizzoli Bookstore. The winner will be announced on September 16 and will receive a $10,000 contribution to English translation and promotion in the United States, two steps considered decisive for the entry of a foreign book into the American market.
L’articolo Superbook, here is the jury of the new literary prize proviene da IlNewyorkese.
