The Strega turns eighty: literature in headphones

In view of the final scheduled for July 8, Audible has made available exclusively four of the works that reached the last act of the eightieth edition. Among these it stands out The guests of stone by Michele Mari, read by Andrea Moretti, who led the semi-final in Benevento with 280 votes and has already obtained the Premio Strega Giovani 2026 thanks to a black comedy centered on the demon of the competition. Teresa Ciabatti follows with Donnareginaa novel narrated by Elena Lietti and focused on the tense confrontation between a journalist and a Camorra boss, which collected 184 preferences, placing it in fourth place. They complete the exclusive offer I make him sick by Alcide Pierantozzi, a memoir by three voices on mental illness, which came fifth with 170 votes, and Camus’ widows by Elena Rui, read by Viola Graziosi, which gives voice to the four women linked to the famous twentieth-century intellectual and represents the regulatory quota guaranteed to small and medium-sized publishers within the six finalists.

The interest in the works linked to the Strega also extends significantly to the productions of past editions, capable of maintaining constant listening performances over time. In the historical ranking of the most played titles from 2016 to today, the top is permanently occupied by The hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi, read by Fabrizio Gifuni and winner in 2020. The podium of the contemporary classics most appreciated by listeners is completed by The eight mountains by Paolo Cognetti, winner in 2017 with the voice of Jacopo Venturiero, and by the 2020 finalist The measurement of timewritten and performed by Gianrico Carofiglio.