The initiative Tre parole un libro (eng. Three Words and a Book), started on social networks, has reached Catania’s nightlife with the aim of getting young people interested in literature through exhibitions and meetings related to famous works

A suggestion, an image, a memory. Or a colour, a scent, an idea. You can describe a reading experience in three words, as four young people from Catania said on social networks to encourage their audience to read, especially people who don’t have time because of virtual distractions like taking pictures or gossiping about somebody.

The photographic and literary project Tre parole un libro which combines literature, critique and photography. It moved from social networks to real life, with many exhibition events taking place in those pubs that embraced the spirit of the initiative. One of these is Vermut, the pub which was chosen for the opening on 18th July 2019. There, the idea was presented to the public in front of a glass of wine or a cocktail, while “spectators” met some of the artists, sponsors and organizations supporting this mission.

«We started with classics ‒ explained Andrea Ziino, project creator together with Sade Patti, Mar­ti­na Bon­fi­glio and Re­na­to S. Man­ci­ni ‒ from Moby Dick to Lolita, from The Catcher in the Rye to Camus’ The Plague. Our aim is to offer people a starting point to talk about interesting topics, like art and literature». And magic has arrived in Catania since the first night of their experiment, when locals and tourists stopped in front of a pub located in via Gemellaro to admire their works and to know more about the event before looking for their Instagram profile, where in the meantime the reader-oriented literary critique continued.

«We give suggestions to those who want to approach literature without reading back covers, synopsis or reviews ‒ explained Ziino. – Our watchword is no spoi­ler, only proposals through images, photos, captioned and symbolic items, like dried leaves or human bodies».

In addition to photocompositions posted on their Instagram account, the exhibition is enriched with original illustrations made by nine Sicilian artists. «Some of them opted for illustrations, other for paintings or drawings. In any case, their visual artworks represent the contents, the style and the spirit of our project».

«We would also like to include schools ‒ said the project creator ‒ to change kids’ approach to reading and dust-off their vocabulary at last». Therefore, students wouldn’t have to read novels during their Summer holidays and could let their imagination run riot according to the model of Tre parole un libro.

Translated by Daniela Marsala

Next events:

02/​08/​2019 – 02/​09/​2019: AI PINI di Ni­co­lo­si, Via Et­nea, Ni­co­lo­si (CT)

27/​09/​2019 – 20/​10/​2019: MONO, Via Gor­na­lun­ga 18, Ca­ta­nia

16/​12/​2019 – 25/​12/​2019: LA CHIA­VE, Via Lan­do­li­na 70, Ca­ta­nia

28/​12/​2019 – 06/​01/​2020: LET­TE­RA 82, Piaz­za dell’In­di­riz­zo 10/​14, Ca­ta­nia