In the densely-packed schedule of literary festivals, Dedica stands out as being one of the longest-running and because of its unique formula: it is in fact centred upon a single author – a prominent figure of international literature – around which a programme featuring a sequence of conversations, interviews, theatrical performances, films and music is constructed; though densely packed, the programme unfolds at a leisurely pace, enabling the public to gain more in-depth knowledge about the author.
A “unicum” – a one-off event – which for the last twenty-three years has represented the very best of Italian literary events: the Dedica festival, whose original formula comprises an intense week-long programme of stage performances, conversations, cinema, music, art, books, and projects for children and families. The participants are immersed in the world of the author, who is the central theme around which each edition of the festival is constructed. In this way, Dedica offers the public a rare opportunity of sharing an exhaustive exploration of the guest whose work is celebrated by the festival, going beyond his work per se to explore the thoughts, the cultural significance and the various artistic forms expressed in his work in a variety of ways.
This year’s edition of the festival is dedicated to Sweden’s Björn Larsson, a writer and essayist as well as an enthusiastic and accomplished traveller and seafarer. Larsson is one of Sweden’s most original contemporary authors, with a style that is sometimes defined as “eclectic and impressionist”; his readers can navigate away from the mainstream routes into areas in which reality assumes the symbolic reality of art or fantasy is able to “imagine the truth”.
The Dedica project, which is organized by Thesis Associazione Culturale, is sponsored by a number of public bodies and institutions – in particular the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, PromoTurismoFVG (Regional Tourist Board), the Municipality of Pordenone, the Province of Pordenone, and the Fondazione Friuli foundation – and is staged with the support of several important private organizations: our special partner Servizi CGN, Crédit Agricole FriulAdria and the Pordenone branch of UnipolSai Assicurazioni.