On 23 October 2026, MLAC's Professor Katrin Wehling-Giorgi joined Dr Alberica Bazzoni for Once Upon a Time in Italy, exploring the remarkable journey of Goliarda Sapienza's The Art of Joy from decades of rejection to international literary acclaim.
On 23 October 2026, Professor Katrin Wehling-Giorgi, Professor of Italian Studies at Durham University's School of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLAC) and Co-Director of the Institute for Medical Humanities, joined Dr Alberica Bazzoni (CIEE Florence) at the Italian Cultural Institute in London for Once Upon a Time in Italy #3: The 90s.
Once Upon a Time in Italy is a literary series curated by Olga Campofreda, exploring four decades of Italian history and society through literature.
This third event, also chaired by Campofreda, featured a conversation between Professor Wehling-Giorgi and Dr Bazzoni, alongside a reading by actress Chiara Goldsmith.
Completed in 1976 but repeatedly rejected by publishers, Goliarda Sapienza's The Art of Joy (L'arte della gioia) was only published in full in 1998.
Set in early twentieth-century Sicily, the novel follows Modesta, a woman who challenges social conventions in her pursuit of freedom and independence. Today, it is internationally recognised as a modern literary classic.
The conversation explored what the novel's long struggle for publication reveals about Italian society and changing attitudes towards women's writing.
Professor Wehling-Giorgi specialises in Italian women's literature and co-edited Goliarda Sapienza in Context (2016).
The event reflects Durham University's continued engagement with Italian cultural institutions.
In April 2026, Durham welcomed the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in London and the Italian Consul General in Manchester for a visit aimed at strengthening academic and cultural collaborations.
Read more about the April visit to Durham here
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