To close the 24th Week of the Italian Lanaguage in the World, the Italian Embassy in Canada, in collaboration with the University of Ottawa, organized a presentation of the book “Echoes of Growing Up Italian” by Italian-Canadian author Gina Valle. The book collects testimonies from Prof. Valle and several other Italian-Canadian authors and addresses topics related to identity, values, and social relations, perfectly reflecting the central theme of the 2024 edition of the Week: the book as a tool to convey cultural heritage.
At the end of the book presentation, Ms. Rebecca Scano, Head of Cultural Affairs at the Embassy, awarded the students who wrote the three best essays in the literary competition “The World Between the Lines,” launched in recent weeks at the Department of Modern Languages and Cinema of the University. The winning students, who were asked to discuss books or Italian authors that have impacted or inspired them throughout their lives, received the trilogy “Our Ancestors” by Italo Calvino, which addresses concepts related to identity, belonging, distance, and personal growth. On this occasion, the Embassy showcased the exhibition “Calvino qui e altrove,” promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation last year in celebration of the centenary of the author’s birth.
The event was much appreciated by the many students from the University and members of the Italian community in Ottawa who were present, and was followed remotely by the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers. This initiative follows the event centered on Pinocchio, organized with Carleton University, to open the 2024 Week of the Italian Language in the World.
