The Italian Institute of Culture of New York is pleased to announce the first edition of “SuperBook”, a new literary competition that will lead to New York, from 26 to 29 March 2026, eight Italian writers winners of some of the most important national literary awards of the last year.
The selected works will be submitted to the judgement of a jury composed of authoritative personalities of the world of culture, literature and publishing, deeply linked to the United States. The final verdict will be proclaimed by mid-September 2026.
The initiative was born with a precise objective: to increase the knowledge of the Italian narrative in the United States, favoring the translation in English and the spread in a vast, competitive and strategic market like the American one.
The winner of the SuperBook will be awarded a $10,000 prize, intended to support English translation and promotion of the work in the United States.
The jury of this first edition will be the conductor Daniele Rustioni, recently appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, one of the most prestigious positions of the international opera scene. Below the authors in competition:
Andrea Bajani, L’anniversario, Feltrinelli — Premio Strega
Nicolò Cavallaro, Il lama dell’Alabama, Hacca Edizioni — Premio POP, Premio Opera Prima
Teresa Ciabatti, Donnaregina, Mondadori — Premio BPER Donna Scrittrice, sezione Narrativa
Nicola H. Cosentino, C’è molta speranza (ma nessuna per noi), Guanda — Premio Flaiano
Diego De Silva, I titoli di coda di una vita insieme, Einaudi — Premio Viareggio-Rèpaci
Anna Mallamo, Col buio me la vedo io, Einaudi — Premio Mondello
Wanda Marasco, Di spalle a questo mondo, Neri Pozza — Premio Campiello
Leonardo San Pietro, Festa con casuario, Sellerio — Premio Mondello Giovani
“Our goal is to increase the presence of the Italian narrative translated into English in the United States, where the share of foreign literature remains very contained,” said Claudio Pagliara, Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in New York. “SuperBook is a new project in many respects: it is a “premium of prizes”, symbolically inspired by the Super Bowl model. We are convinced that a jury rooted in the United States and able to read in Italian is in the ideal position to identify the book with the greatest chances to assert itself in the American market. The authoritativeness of his President, Daniele Rustioni, whom I thank for having accepted my invitation, confirms the value and ambition of this initiative, born to strongly promote Italian literature in the United States”.
The SuperBook has received financial support from CEPELL – Centre for Book and Reading and is promoted with the support of AIE – Associazione Italiana Editori e del Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino.
The General Consulates of Italy are partners in New York and Boston, many universities in the constituency, the Rizzoli bookstores in New York and I AM Books in Boston.
During a true four-day literary marathon, the authors will dialogue with journalists, literary critics and other important figures of the cultural landscape. On 26, 27 and 28 March the meetings will be held at the Italian Institute of Culture in New York, while on 29 March all the authors will be present at the Rizzoli library for an “Aperitivo with the Authors”.
The Institute is available to journalists interested in organizing interviews with individual authors.
L’articolo Born Superbook: in New York the eight winners of the leading Italian literary awards come from IlNewyorkese.