On the occasion of the release in the United States of Le Otto Montagne (The Eight Mountains), the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington DC are pleased to invite you to a presentation of the book by Paolo Cognetti, winner of the 2017 Premio Strega, Italy’s most prestigious literary prize.
Paolo Cognetti will be discussing his novel and his passion for American literature with Rakesh Satyal, Senior Editor at Simon & Shuster and author of the award winning book Blue Boy.
“A fine book, a rich, achingly painful story that is made for all of us who have ever felt a hunger for the mountains. Few books have so accurately described the way stony heights can define one’s sense of joy and rightness. And it is an exquisite unfolding of the deep way humans may love one another.” —Annie Proulx
in collaboration with
LOCATION
Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
REGISTRATION & PHOTO ID REQUIRED
DOORS OPEN 30 MINUTES PRIOR EVENT START-TIME
Due to new safety regulations, we are not allowed to add extra seats to the auditorium or let anyone stand. A registration is not a guarantee of a seat as these are assigned on a first-come first-served basis.
RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH EVENTBRITE. NO PHONE OR EMAIL RSVP AVAILABLE
From the beginning, Le Otto Montagne has been a literary phenomenon, something that was made clear by the competition among the publishers who wanted to publish it around the world. In fact, the novel has already been translated into more than 30 languages and on March 20th will be available in the United States with the title of The Eight Mountains.
For fans of Elena Ferrante, Fredrik Backman, and Paulo Coelho comes the international sensation about the friendship between two young Italian boys from different backgrounds and how their incredibly strong connection evolves, changes, and challenges them throughout their lives.
Pietro is a lonely boy living in Milan. With his parents becoming more distant each day, the only thing the family shares is their love for the Dolomites, the mountains that hug the northeastern border of Italy.
Paolo Cognetti
Paolo Cognetti was born in 1978 in Milan. He divides his time between the city and his cabin 6,000 feet up in the Italian Alps. The Eight Mountains has spent a full year in the Italian bestseller lists and is published in 38 countries. The novel has won both Italy’s Premio Strega and the French Prix Médicis étranger.
Rakesh Satyal
Rakesh Satyal is a Senior Editor at Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. He held previous positions at Doubleday and HarperCollins and spent three years working as a naming specialist in the world of branding. He has sat on the advisory board for the annual PEN World Voices Festival and has taught in the publishing program at New York University. He is the author of the novels Blue Boy and No One Can Pronounce My Name, the latter of which was published by Picador USA in 2017.