The Festival of Italian Literature“La Fonte”, which took place in Vienna on 1-3 March 2024, included the panel exhibition “La penna del diplomatico” dedicated to books written by Italian diplomats. The Festival takes place every year and is organised by the Italian Cultural Institute in Vienna, the cultural associations “Librai in Corso” and “Associazione Libellula”.
Designed and realised by Amb. Stefano Baldi, the exhibition consists of 18 thematic panels depicting 360 book covers and thus illustrating a lesser-known side of diplomats, i.e. the books they have published. The panels – in Italian and English – are sorted by themes and comprise: History, Biographies, Memoirs and recollections, International Affairs, Diplomacy, Fiction, Poetry and drama, Italians abroad, Miscellaneous, Other languages, Italian Embassies. Each panel also gives a brief description of the books featured. A special panel was created for the occasion, focussing on books published by Austrian diplomat writers.
The panel exposition is based on the larger research project “La penna del diplomatico” that the author launched over 20 years ago with the namesake book. So far, the research has led to the identification and cataloguing of over 1,400 books published by more than 340 diplomats from the post-war (WWII) period to the present day, thus highlighting the considerable book production of diplomats.
A look at the books published reveals a vast and varied picture that not only shows the diplomats’ ability to chronicle situations and characters, but also the broad and diverse interests that distinguish them.
The project also includes a blog (https://diplosor.wordpress.com), a website (http://baldi.diplomacy.edu/diplo), as well as a book by Stefano Baldi and Pasquale Baldocci “Through the Diplomatic Looking Glass. Books Published by Italian Diplomats Since 1946” (2007) (there is also an Italian version: “La penna del diplomatico. I libri scritti dai diplomatici italiani dal dopoguerra ad oggi”, published in 2006). More recently, Stefano Baldi ha salso published a book directory titled “Il diplomatico su carta” (2018).
Press articles
ANSA 2.3.2024
Giornale diplomatico 5.3.2024
Gazzetta diplomatica 5.3.2024
Il Corriere Nazionale 5.3.2024
AISE 5.3.2024
Inform 5.3.2024
Giulianova News 5.3.2024
Agenzia Cult 5.3.2024
Corriere dell’italianità 5.3.2024
Eco italiano (Argentina) 5.3.2024
La Gazzetta italo-brasiliana 5.3.2024
Italy 24 5.3.2024
Daily Cases Magazine 5.3.2024
L’altraitalia (Svizzera) 5.3.2024
Radio L’Aquila 5.3.2024
Cancello ed Arnone news 5.3.2024
Pensiero Numero 5 2024
Politicamentecorretto 5.3.2024
