Return to Man. Where Pavese and Fenoglio meet.

On Friday, July 3, at 9:30 p.m. at the Arena Sacerdote in Alba, writer Paolo Di Paolo will explore the theme of the 2026 Pavese Festival, Return to Man, through the works of two great writers from this region: Cesare Pavese and Beppe Fenoglio. The event is organized by the Cesare Pavese Foundation and the Beppe Fenoglio Study Center and is part of off-site and the Arena's summer events calendar, curated by the Municipality of Alba.

Fenoglio and Pavese are, in fact, two totally different writers—as Lorenzo Mondo, who loved them both, said—except for their extraordinary gift of language, their ability to combine humanity and style. Paolo Di Paolo takes us on a remarkable journey between two authors born in the Langhe hills of the twentieth century, who share the craft of crafting new words, words long awaited because they serve humanity and must return to humanity.

Paolo Di Paolo was born in 1983 in Rome. A finalist in 2003 for the Italo Calvino Prize for unpublished works and the Campiello Giovani prize, he is the author of the novels Dove eravate tutti (2011, Mondello Prize and Super Vittorini Prize), Mandami tanta vita (2013, Salerno Libro d'Europa Prize, Fiesole Narrativa Prize and finalist in the Strega Prize), Una storia quasi solo d'amore (2016), Lontano dagli occhi (2019, Viareggio-Rèpaci Prize), all published in the Feltrinelli catalogue. He has written for the theatre and is the author of children's books and books born in dialogue with several cultural figures, including Dacia Maraini, Raffaele La Capria, Antonio Tabucchi, and Nanni Moretti. He writes for “la Repubblica”, “L'Espresso” and “Vanity Fair”. He hosts the programme “La lingua batte” on Rai Radio 3. His works have been translated into several European languages.