The great invasion. Sharing of words written, drawn, performed

The city of Adriano Olivetti will be transformed for the second time in an open-work reading workshop.

“The great invasion“, a festival dedicated to reading, will be held this year from May 30 to June 2 in the town of Ivrea.

The date of the festival was anticipated, compared to last year (20-23 June 2013), in order to include the 2nd of June, date traditionally dedicated to a free concert in Ottinetti square. The final evening, as last year, thus includes one or more major musical guests.

The show was born last year on the initiative of a publisher, Gianmario Pilo , and a bookseller, Marco Cassini, which gave rise to the encounter of two independent realities: the “Galleria del Libro” (Gallery of the Book), historic library of Ivrea, and the publishing house “minimum|fax”. In times of cuts to culture and little desire to invest in new projects, the two founders of the event were able to involve the city government.

Last year the festival has been achieved mainly thanks to the financial support of the Foundation Guelpa and some sponsors who joined the initiative, including RGI Group, which has decided to promote the initiative again this year.
Writers, journalists and publishers will develop together with the audience their reading paths, from comics to music, from literature to journalism. A four-day event designed to invade the peaceful town with lots of guests, in a program that runs through readings, exhibitions, concerts, meetings, seminars, parties and children’s activities, and where nearly all appointments have free entry.

The dominant theme will still be reading in all its forms (papers, comics, characters, cities – reading, and so on). 

The Great Invasion will indeed confirm 2013 successful points and will also be renewed with new sections, starting from the exploration of the editing theme that will be attached to the translation one. In fact, if the relationship between translator and translated author does not go beyond the page, between author and editor it takes instead a real meeting, which will be analyzed.

Also this year there will be some of the major Italian writers who will come to present a preview of their books or to debate on current issues.
We will also welcome three big names of the show for likewise readings, which this year will be dedicated to three international authors celebrating the birth centenary: the Italian Anna Maria Ortese, the Argentine Julio Cortázar and the American Bernard Malamud.

The three meetings by Luca Raffaelli about comics and the morning press review with Alessandro Grazioli are then acknowledged and both will be accompanied by distinguished guests in the industry.
Finally, the already extensive section “The small invasion” – dedicated to children and including readings, workshops, meetings – will be further extended with more laboratories. The festival is also open to schools and will embrace both music and art, thanks to the presence of major exhibitions which, like in the first edition of the festival, will enrich the offer with the work of painters, cartoonists, illustrators.

The Great Invasion is thus confirmed as a point of convergence for culture and cooperation, making the city actually an active part of its organization. The event reminds us that words, people and participation are the foundations of our society.