Storm over Michele Mari, accusations of sexism before the Strega final: what happened

L’episode would have occurred on Thursday 18 Juneduring a trip to Puglia. The six candidates from the group of six were reaching Bisceglie on board a minibus as part of the traditional tour that precedes the announcement of the winner, scheduled for 8 July in Piazza del Campidoglio, in Rome. According to some reconstructions collected by several present, the discussion apparently arose during a conversation between Mari and the writer Elena Ruialso a finalist with “Vedove di Camus” (L’orma). During the exchange, the writer would have expressed particularly harsh judgments towards Michela Murgiathe Sardinian writer who passed away on 10 August 2023 after a long illness.

The words attributed to Mari immediately provoked a reaction from Teresa Ciabatti, also competing with “Donnaregina” (Mondadori) and linked by a deep friendship to Murgia. According to some witnesses, Mari would have claimed that the author of “Accabadora” was “intransigent and violent, because she was ugly. And that was how she vented her anger”. The discussion would then degenerate when the reasoning would have expanded to more general considerations on women considered dissatisfied or not appreciated by men (Mari would have said that “all dissatisfied and disliked women become angry”). Phrases that Ciabatti would have immediately deemed “unacceptable”. The writer, deeply affected also on a personal level by the relationship that linked her to Murgia, would have firmly contested those statements, giving rise to a heated comparison inside the vehicle. Among those present there would also have been Matteo Nucci, currently second in the provisional ranking of the Strega with “Plato. A love story” (Feltrinelli).

Within a few hours the news began to circulate in Roman editorial and literary circles, quickly becoming the dominant theme of the final campaign for the award. A controversy that comes at a particularly delicate moment in the competition and which risks having consequences not only in the media. Faced with the growing indiscretions, Michele Mari has decided to intervene publicly through a note released by its publisher. The writer he decisively rejected the version circulated in the last few hours. “In relation to the uncontrolled rumors that are circulating regarding my argument with Teresa Ciabatti, I would like to point out that I have never spoken about Michela Murgia’s physical appearance, nor would I ever have allowed myself to do so”, denied Mari. “With Teresa Ciabatti – continues the message released by the Milanese writer – we then clarified, so much so that she herself told me that she did not want to follow up on the episode. However, I apologized to her, if something in my words could have hurt her, just as I certainly did not want to offend Michela Murgia, but only to recall (in a private context, moreover) a distant episode of mutual misunderstanding”.

The However, the affair also prompted the Maria and Goffredo Bellonci Foundation, the body that organizes the Strega Prize, to intervene. In an official position statement, the Foundation “considers any denigrating expression and any judgment harmful to the dignity of people incompatible with the spirit of the Strega Prize”. Words that mark a clear distancing from the contested statements and testify to the organizers’ concern for a controversy that risks obscuring the cultural profile of the award.

It now remains to be understood what effects the affair may have on the final phase of the competition. Michele Mari led the sestina with ‘I convitati di pietra’ (Einaudi), which obtained 280 votes; in second place Matteo Nucci, with 242 votes for ‘Plato. A love story’ (Feltrinelli). Third was Bianca Pitzorno with ‘La sonnambula’ (Bompiani), 195 votes, followed by Teresa Ciabatti with ‘Donnaregina’ (Mondadori), 184 votes and by Alcide Pierantozzi with ‘Lo sbilico’ (Einaudi), 170 votes. Finally Elena Rui with ‘Vedove di Camus’ (L’orma), 163 votes. Numbers that until a few days ago seemed to project Mari towards a relatively certain victory. Today, however, the race suddenly appears reopened. In major literary competitions, votes are also decided through personal relationships, cultural sensitivities and public perceptions. And a controversy that touches on issues such as sexism, respect for women and the memory of a much loved figure like Michela Murgia could influence the orientation and consensus of the over 700 Strega jurors.