Cuba Celebrates Centenary Of Italo Calvino’s Birth

Not only Italy, but also Havana is preparing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Italo Calvino, the world famous Italian writer, born on October 15, 2023 in Santiago de las Vegas, a small Cuban town in the province of Havana, where Italo’s father worked for many years as an agronomist.

A program of initiatives to honor the Italian writer was introduced in the Cuban capital by members of the local political and cultural world in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Havana, Roberto Vellano, who emphasized Calvino’s strong ties with Cuba, where the famous Italian writer, the author of numerous novels, short stories, and essays, is still considered an “outstanding Cuban citizen.”

The family subsequently moved to Turin, but the writer returned to the “Island of Liberty” in 1964, when he was already a famous author, at the personal invitation of Cuban President Fidel Castro and the Casa de las Americas, the cultural institute founded in Havana on April 28, 1959 and subordinate to the Ministry of Culture. The main goal of Casa de las Americas is to develop and expand cultural connections between Cuba, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the entire world through cultural production and research.

The memorial program, which will take place at various locations from October 11 to 15, including the Dante Alighieri Society, also includes the construction of an allegorical literary park dedicated to Calvino and the characters of his works.