The Campiello is a literary prize established by the Veneto Industrialists and is awarded to works of Italian fiction.
The first edition of the Campiello Prize was held in 1963 and saw Primo Levi as the winner with his novel ‘La Tregua’ (The Truce).
The name Campiello was chosen by Edilio Rusconi, then a journalist, who chose this place to define this cultural event. The Campiello has always been a typical space of Venetian life, a meeting place of cultural and mercantile exchange for the Venetian inhabitants. This place also refers to Goldoni’s idea of theatre, a world crowded with people from all walks of life.
The prize given to the winner is a silver reproduction of the ‘vera da pozzo’, the characteristic Venetian well.
The winner of the 61st edition of the Campiello Prize was Benedetta Tobagi, with the novel ‘La Resistenza delle donne’ (The Resistance of women).
The book tells of the contribution of women during the fight against fascism. These women came from all walks of life, they were relay girls, nurses, sutlers, but also armed or unarmed combatants. Their contribution was erased from our national history and women were confined to their traditional roles as wives, mothers and daughters.
This book serves as a reminder of the lives and work of many female partisans, of their courage and tenacity.
The writer said: ‘I dedicate this award to all women who resist, who have no voice and who I hope can find it in books. To all those people who do not look the other way and who find an answer to situations of despair, who take in and deal with the ferocity of inequality.’
