Two books. A path. A life. Giuseppina Prostamo, a retired school principal, presented her last two works A Figghja i l’Orfaneju “and” The Scent of Memories “in the conference room of Palazzo Marzano di Briatico, in the presence of the public on special occasions. Two books that fully enter the history of Calabrian literature.
With “A Figghja i l’Orfaneju” – whose preface was edited by the journalist and essayist Vincenzo Varone – the author gave her people and future generations a slice of individual memory, among verdant gardens, characters marked by the grace of goodness of the humble, creaks coming at night from the “orphans” which were nothing more than a few pieces of wood collected during the day, nursery rhymes, salt, sea, religious rites accompanied by a lived and felt spirituality, prayers, games of the past, study and didactic experiences. An experience which, through this work, thus becomes a collective memory, managing to pass on to the new generations that legacy of essential values also for living in the present, today marked by the loneliness caused by the pandemic, by the senseless fury of wars and by the many somersaults of a certain society dedicated only to appearing and that’s it. As for the lyrics “The scent of memories – as the editor of the preface writes the professional journalist Pasquale Petrolo, from the volume emerge“ memories with a strong flavor, never forgotten, which evoke happiness, feelings, pains, hopes and trust in Heaven. Memories that emerge in the countryside and seascapes where everything preserves the author’s experience “whose roots – as she declines with a poetic vein – sink into the rural and marine humus”. Happiness, transpires in the poem “Joy” for the achievement of “the coveted goal”, the degree. “The dawn announced / the imminent dawning day / and with it the joy for the achievement of the coveted goal / my dream was about to come true …”. Petrolo also writes that “contaminations of a romantic and realist nature are present in the style of the poetess Prostamo”, whose “lyrics often rise to a golden level as a” divine providence “of Manzoni’s memory hovers over them”.
During the evening promoted by the Pro Loco of Briatico, chaired by Michele La Piana – who is distinguishing himself for his vitality and for his commitment in the cultural field and for the promotion of the territory – Varone and Petrolo talked with the author who in addition to answering the questions, he read with intense participation some passages of his works. Result. An intense evening with ancient and strong flavors but with a constant eye also on the present and the future. A cultural moment in the name of the explosive power of the word, a tale that becomes a living memory, of the strong sense of belonging and the beauty of the word but also and above all of values, first of all the family, faith and school that represent the backbone of society. The evening was enlivened by the music of the pianist Francesco Pata and the singer Gemma Fazzari who gathered the applause of the audience present. The event was also attended by a delegation from the municipal administration of Briatico led by the mayor Lidio Vallone and the mayor of Drapia Alessandro Porcelli. Among those present also numerous teachers and representatives of the world of culture and associations. .
In the Vibonese area there was consensus for the presentation of Giuseppina Prostamo’s books