"Mio figlio. L'amore che non ho fatto in tempo a dirgli" wins an international contest in London
The Italian book “Mio figlio. L’amore che non ho fatto in tempo a dirgli” by Marco Termenana published in 2021 by CSA Editrice has been awarded the first prize at the first edition of “The alchemy of poetry – Scrittori italiani a Londra” international contest by the “Irdi – Destinazionearte” Association.
The jury was chaired by the literary critic, professor Eugenia Tabellione.
The aim of the contest was to award the best Italian works (published and unpublished) in different categories (poetry, novels, essays).
The prize-giving ceremony will be held at Hone Books Galore (Stepherd’s Bush Market, Shop #24, London) on January, 26th at 6 pm (London Time). The event will be hosted by Mrs. Grazia Depedri and will be live streamed online from the Facebook and Instagram pages of the book shop.
“Mio figlio. L’amore che non ho fatto in tempo a dirgli” is a true story that deals with delicate and important current issues, such as gender identity, love, the role of families in the lives of young people and suicide.
The book (which has already won several national prizes) is based on the true story of Giuseppe’s suicide in Milan, in the night between the 24th and the 25th of May, 2014. Giuseppe was the 21-year-old son of the author. The aim of the story is to honour the boy’s memory and to help other parents to understand their children and to orient themselves in such difficult situations. The book analyses the causes of youth problems that can lead to suicide, through fragments of the boy’s short life, combined with moments of life of his father’s present. The backbone of the novel is divided into two main themes: gender identity and youth problems leading to self-destruction. Giuseppe was very reserved and introverted, to the point of choosing the voluntary isolation of hikikomori; he was a tormented kid, like many other kids these days, with huge doubts about his identity, to the point that he had created a second identity for himself: a young girl called Noemi. Bipolarity and self-isolation led him to not being able to see a future for himself and to ending it all. A book for parents, teachers, psychologists, educators and readers aged 13 years and above.
Marco Termenana is represented in Italy and abroad by IBA, which congratulates Marco Termenana on his latest success. We are confident that this international award can be another great opportunity to raise awareness on this crucial topic abroad as well.
Foreign rights for this book are available for all countries. Publishers interested in the purchase of the rights of “Mio figlio” can get in touch with the Foreign Rights department of IBA.
Moreover, two big Italian film studios have commissioned the journalist and screenwriter Sarah Panatta to write the script for a possible film adaptation of the book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author, Marco Termenana, Giuseppe’s father, has a degree in Political Science. He was born in Venice in 1958 – even though he has southern origins – and he started working as a journalist in Salerno. Since 1980 he has been a member of the Italian Journalist Order. In 1982, he moved to Milan, where he worked as a press adviser for companies in the field of informatics and high technology. At the moment, he works as an executive for a leading Italian company and travels throughout Italy to spread knowledge, to raise awareness on the topics covered on his book and to share his own personal experience in order to help young people and parents to deal with similar situations.