AGI – non-fiction books on current topics, social, spiritual, political and environmental issues and a very modern multimedia touch: at the request of the Euro-Mediterranean Province of the Society of Jesus, Il Pellegrino Edizioni was born, a new brand with the aim of , to create a deep and lively dialogue between authors and readers from the Catholic field and those of other religions and the secular world. Its stated aim is to present itself as a cultural space open to debate and comparison, which takes up the contributions of great authors of the past and amplify the voices of the present, starting with the most authoritative of all, that of Pope Francis, who led the production of Il Pellegrino will open with his new book, “Remember to Pray for Me,” on shelves February 13th. As a further proof of the strength of the company, the leadership and management of the project has been entrusted to two professionals with extensive experience in some of the most important publishing houses in our country: the writer and theologian Natale Benazzi and the former head of the Black Rights Office Pozza Chiara Libonati . AGI asked both of them for information about the first steps and long-term plans of this new publishing house.
Chiara Libonati, Il Pellegrino Edizioni was born in early 2024: is it a coincidence or a motivated timing decision?
A motivated choice, starting from the intention to be structured and ready for a fundamental event such as the anniversary and to establish a dialogue with readers on topics of great value.
What market share do you want to cover?
Today there seems to be a clear separation between religious publications, or those identified as such, and generalist publications. Even though we are a publisher of a religious community, we want to address both audiences and bring them together, aiming for transversality by publishing texts that deal strongly with ethics and spirituality in a narrative way. We reach out to an audience that wouldn’t enter a religious bookstore, with the idea of acting as a bridge between two realities that have always existed independently of each other. Even from a purely editorial point of view, the differentiation helps to be recognizable in a time of structural crisis in the industry.
By the way, there will be a QR code on the cover of your books: what purpose should it serve?
This is a new challenge: The QR code in the middle of the cover will not only have the task of guaranteeing us effective recognition in bookstores, it will also do justice to today’s communication methods. We believe that it can become an element of great strength, allowing the reader to “enter” the book as soon as he holds it in his hand and receive immediate information about its contents in a very current technological multisensory dimension . It is a door to texts, designed ad hoc for each text with a unique structure and identity, adapted to the different potential readers. For example, in the case of Seventy Times Seven by Alex Mar, you get access to a book trailer, while the multi-dimensional entry for Pope Francis’ new book gives you a preview of the prayers the Holy Father recites. Taking advantage of the opportunities offered by technology will help us reach even the youngest. But be careful, we don’t want to disturb anyone: the first hint that appears is to turn down the volume.
Among the first titles to be published, the Pope’s latest book stands out: Will you be his reference publisher?
Unfortunately not, although we would of course have been happy about it: The Pope will continue to publish with the Libreria Editrice Vaticana. It just seemed like a good idea to tell readers how Bergoglio thinks about and practices prayer.
Natale Benazzi, what will Il Pellegrino propose thematically?
We will focus on true stories and reflections on sensitive ethical issues. Our texts could be a return to the classical tradition – as in the case of “Like a Spiritual Testament” by Simone Weil or “Notebooks in Eights” by Franz Kafka – but also forms of expression of the new times that touch on topics such as artificial intelligence, etc. Restorative Justice – Alex Mar’s book, which deals with themes such as guilt, forgiveness and the offender’s reintegration into society, is an example of this. There will be no shortage of political texts, for example on wars in Palestine, Ukraine and on the African continent. And not even reflections on the major issues of Italian society, starting with Francesco Occhetta’s book “Democracy”. “The Challenge of Fraternity,” which explores the possibility of fraternity itself becoming once again the central core of national democracy.
The Pope’s new book will pave your way into bookstores: Can you tell us something about the content?
Through prayers and texts, the Holy Father explains in this book the importance of his attitude of turning to the Lord, as well as the deep meaning of the act of prayer in preparation for the Jubilee. The foreword by his nephew, the Jesuit Father José Luis Narvaja, gives the text a valuable introduction to the deep meaning of prayer for Francis: through the words of a man who knows him well, the intimate roots of his attention to dialogue with him are also revealed Divine. “Remember to pray for me” is not a random title, it takes up a phrase that the Pope says again and again and that really deserves closer examination.
Your catalog ranges from Simon Weil to Kafka to modern authors: What is the criterion for selecting the works?
The selection parameter is paradoxically simple: we will examine texts that force the reader to make a qualitative leap in their reading and in their existence. Books for those who are not satisfied. What will matter is not the fame of the proposed authors, but the richness of the content. Volumes that you won’t forget after the last page, that will stand the test of time because they are full of ideas and can stimulate thought and change. We have decided to translate a lot, but there will be no shortage of Italian authors. Among others, I must mention the educator Mario Pollo, whose text on nihilism and its effects on society will certainly be one of the surprises of the coming months.
One of the upcoming books, “God Between the Lines” by Lorenzo Fazzini, examines the “hidden” religious question in contemporary fiction and concludes with an afterword by Nicola Lagioia: Will you include other famous secular narrators in the Pellegrino Edizioni project, perhaps with? unpublished works?
First, a word about the decision to prefer afterwords to forewords: We believe that at the end of reading a book, the desire to delve deeper into the topics discussed in it grows. In the case of Fazzini’s text, Lagioia’s thematically very rich gloss opens up other perspectives of interpretation. In the future we will certainly include other secular authors who will also be entrusted with unpublished works. We want a catalog accessible to all: the importance of comparison remains crucial. Our reference is a sentence from Cardinal Martini: The Church cannot be satisfied with speaking to believers who think little.
