The celebration of the Week of the Italian Language in the World provided an opportunity to recall the prestigious international Flaiano Prize for Italian Studies, which was awarded to professors from North Macedonia for the first time. Professors Jovana Karanikikj-Josimovska and Eva Gjorgjievska from the Faculty of Philology at Goce Delcev University in Štip had the honour of receiving this distinction. The Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to North Macedonia, H.E. Paolo Palminteri, also recalled that the award-winning book, Italian Literature and Culture of the Baroque, Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, was presented last year during the Week of the Italian Language in the World.
“I am very pleased that today’s event is taking place immediately after this highly significant recognition. The Flaiano Prize has a long-standing tradition and represents an important milestone on the Italian literary scene. Therefore, the award received by the two professors for their book is truly significant. I am also pleased that the central theme remains the Week of the Italian Language in the World, given that the book was presented last year at one of these events,” Ambassador Palminteri stated.
“The Flaiano Prize has been awarded at an international festival in Pescara for 53 years, recognising achievements in cinema, journalism, literature and other artistic expressions. The Luca Attanasio subcategory for Italian Studies was introduced 25 years ago. This is the first time the award has been presented to Macedonian female authors in an international competition at the global level. The other award recipients are from Canada and Egypt.
“For us, this recognition acknowledges our work to date and encourages us to continue our efforts and invest further in Italian literature and culture.
“The book is an encyclopaedic edition covering three periods of the 17th and 18th centuries: the Baroque, the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism. It is a bilingual publication. The theoretical section is written in Macedonian, while the second part contains original, authentic texts that are rarely encountered in Macedonian literature. These texts come from various sources and include, for example, documents related to the trial of Galileo Galilei, as well as texts taken from certain leaflets distributed to promote Commedia dell’arte theatre performances, among others,” said Prof. Dr. Eva Gjorgjievska.
