PRESS RELEASE
8th EDITION OF STRÀNGIUS: WITNESSES OF OUR TIME
International Literary Festival of Autobiographical Literature
Serramanna (SU), September 4–6 and September 10–14, 2025
The press conference presenting the 8th edition of the Stràngius International Autobiographical Literature Festivalwas held this morning. The festival is organised by the Municipality of Serramanna in collaboration with the Associazione Città della Terra Cruda, under the patronage of the Sardinia Region.
The festival was created to honour the figure of Vico Mossa, a native of Serramanna—an architect of extraordinary talent, a scholar of Sardinian history and cultural identity, and the author of the autobiographical novel I cabilli. Made possible thanks to the contribution of numerous local associations, the festival aims to create meaningful opportunities for dialogue and exchange between different worlds and cultures.
The 2025 edition of Stràngius will take place in Serramanna (SU) in two phases: from 4 to 6 September and from 10 to 14 September, in the evocative bixinaus antigusu (ancient neighbourhoods) of the town, hosted in the courtyards of traditional Campidanese adobe houses (ladiri). The programme will feature a rich calendar of book presentations, literary readings and exhibitions.
Events dedicated to schools, under the title Stràngius at School, will instead take place from 10 to 14 November 2025.
The Theme
The theme of this edition is “Resistances. Between the uncompromising pursuit of freedom and opposition to totalitarianism and oppression.”
“The word resistance comes from the Latin resistentia, from resistere, composed of re- (back) and sistere (to stop). Its etymology suggests standing one’s ground, pushing back, refusing to yield to a force or pressure,” explains artistic director Giuseppe Manias.
“With this festival, we have chosen to tell different forms of Resistance, recalling the words of the great partisan Sandro Pertini: ‘I am not a hero. I am just a man who said no.’”
Guest Authors
Guests of this edition include:
Maram al-Masri (Syria, 1962), poet, living in Paris. Her works have been translated into many languages and have received international awards.
Alberto Bocchetta (Cagliari, 1953), psychiatrist and university lecturer until 2020; since 2022 President of ANPPIA Sardinia.
Mario Capanna (1945), politician and writer, a leading figure of the 1968 movement, former MP and MEP, author of numerous books.
Luca Casarini (1967), activist and founder of Mediterranea Saving Humans; participant in the Synod of Bishops by invitation of Pope Francis.
Michel Cassir (Egypt, 1952), poet and scientist living in Paris; winner of the Grand Prix de la Poésie Francophone.
Francesco Casula (Ollolai, 1950), historian and journalist, author of studies on Sardinian language, history and culture.
Beniamino Deidda (Sardinia, 1942), magistrate and former Prosecutor General in Florence; expert in labour law and constitutional outreach.
Monica Giorgi (Livorno, 1946), former tennis player, philosophy teacher, feminist and activist.
Giulio Guarini, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Tuscia, expert in development, ecological transition and inequalities.
Felicia Vitale Impastato, activist and founder of Casa Memoria, committed to preserving the legacy of Peppino Impastato.
Tommaso Juhasz (1992), activist with Ultima Generazione and olive grower, engaged in the fight against the climate crisis.
Teresa Manes, activist against bullying and cyberbullying, Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Serena Marchi (Verona, 1981), journalist and author, winner of the “Gianni Mura” Award.
Vittorino Mason, writer, mountaineer and filmmaker, promoter of culture and environmental awareness.
Ian McKinley (Ireland, 1989), former rugby player; after a serious eye injury, he returned to play and represented the Italian national team.
Renato Franco Natale (Casal di Principe, 1948), physician and mayor from 2014 to 2024, symbol of the fight against organised crime.
Laura Orlandini, historian and researcher in Ravenna, specialising in social conflicts, Resistance movements and women’s history in the 20th century.
Full biographies are available at:
👉 https://www.strangiusfestival.it/autori-2025/
The Programme
The festival will unfold over eight days, each dedicated to a specific sub-theme:
- Thursday, 4 September – The Resistance of Mothers
- Friday, 5 September – Resisting for the Environment
- Saturday, 6 September – Resisting Injustice
- Wednesday, 10 September – Resisting through Poetry
- Thursday, 11 September – Ho-tanta… 80 Years of Resistance
- Friday, 12 September – Resistentis
- Saturday, 13 September – Resisting through Sport
- Sunday, 14 September – Resisting for a Better World
The full programme is available at:
👉 https://www.strangiusfestival.it/programma-2025/
Awards
During the festival, the literary awards “Franco Putzolu: Witness of Sardinian Identity” and “Vico Mossa: Witness of Our Time” will be presented.
Exhibitions
From 4 to 14 September, daily from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, visitors will be able to see two exhibitions:
- Vivo sono partigiano. Nino a Gaza — exhibition by Francesco Del Casino, curated by Francesco Virdis, hosted at the Church of San Sebastiano (Via Serra 42).
- Stràngius a stràngius: resisting time and trends — curated by the Associazione Tradizioni Popolari Serramanna, at the Montegranatico (Via Montegranatico).
The exhibition programme will continue in October and November with two additional shows:
- Le Resistenze di Putzolu — cartoons by Franco Putzolu.
- Resistenze. 8 Years of Stràngius — photographic exhibition curated by Giulia Camba, Deborah Succa and Giuseppe Manias.
Round Table Discussion
A dedicated moment of reflection will bring together representatives of partner festivals to discuss the theme “Literary Festivals and the Sardinian Language: Challenges and Opportunities.”
The round table will take place on Saturday, 25 October at 5:30 pm.
Past Editions
Over the years, Stràngius has hosted numerous prominent national and international guests.
From 2018 to 2024, the festival explored themes such as Intercultural Dialogue, The Courage to Be Human, Care, Food for Body and Soul, Waste, Outlaws, and Slowness, welcoming journalists, writers, activists, scholars, artists and witnesses of civil resistance from Italy and abroad.
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