Bitterness and sadness. This is how Vittorio Sgarbi reacted to the cancellation of the presentation of his book Stupore e Craig planned at the Turin Book Fair, which will begin on Thursday May 9. A decision arrived shortly before the opening of the event, the most important for publishing in Italy, motivated by his candidacy on the Fratelli d'Italia lists in the next European elections. “We of course follow the rules of the electoral campaign. So political candidates, this also seems to me to be a question of elegance, cannot present the books, but the Fair is open to everyone and we will welcome everyone with joy,” explained the director of the Fair, Annalena Benini “It is with great bitterness that I learned of the cancellation of the presentation of my book on Michelangelo,” declared the former undersecretary of Culture, who resigned in February, “the house of The edition reassures me that it is not a question of personal censorship (for which to shout against the regime like Scurati) but of an unwritten rule which provides that those who are candidates for elections (I imagine not no matter what type) on a level playing field cannot present a book.” A decision that the politician and art critic describes as “far beyond absurdity”, recalling that he has never missed the Turin meeting, with associated presentations for 36 years “and I am sure that in many years I will have encountered electoral opportunities.” According to Sgarbi, a coercive measure with its restrictive interpretation extended also to non-televised events, for which a level playing field has been created – denounces the critic – is a worrying signal for the recognized opposition between politics and culture, of which I was the victim lately, evoking the conclusion of his adventure as undersecretary. “It is a sad moment for Italy because it establishes harmful incompatibilities and, through prohibitions and limitations, instead of guaranteeing equal rights, it imposes false duties,” he concludes. And he also receives, surprisingly, the support of Minister Sangiuliano, who, after the recent disagreements between the two, intervenes hoping that Sgarbi “can still present his books everywhere. Indeed,” he adds, “sooner or later, I too will ask him to be able to present one of his books with him.”
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