For a Handful of Books

Italian book game

In the first episode of the new season, the 5th A class of the scientific high school "S. Pertini" of Ladispoli and the 5th A class of the classical high school "G. Leopardi" of Macerata are competing. The text they are competing on is a short story by Karen Blixen, "Babette's Feast", which was made into a famous film. It is an opportunity to talk metaphorically about food, a very popular topic today. We see the relationship that kids have with food, discover their tastes and find a way to move from food to topics that have to do with current events.

"Per un pugno di libri" pays homage to Vincenzo Cerami, the writer and screenwriter who recently passed away. The two classes, 5°A of the Romita scientific high school in Campobasso and 5°A of the Ricci Curbastro scientific high school in Lugo di Romagna, compete on "Un borghese piccolo piccolo", the successful debut novel transformed into a successful film by Mario Monicelli starring Alberto Sordi. The competition is hosted by Geppi Cucciari with the help of Professor Piero Dorfles.

At the center of the third episode of "Per un pugno di libri" is one of the most famous and controversial novels of the twentieth century: "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by David H. Lawrence. Accused of obscenity, tried and finally acquitted in 1960, after more than forty years from its publication, today the work of the English writer appears as one of the cornerstones of the twentieth century for the courage and intensity with which amorous passion was expressed. Two classes challenge each other in the usual games around Lawrence's novel: the Raffaello technical tourist institute of Urbino and the Iris Versari scientific high school of Cesano Maderno (Monza). Leading the game, as always, is Geppi Cucciari with Piero Dorfles.

In the first episode of the new season, the 5°F class of the "G. Galilei" Classical High School in Florence is competing with the 5°G class of the "Vincenzo Cuoco" Linguistic-Scientific High School in Naples. The text they are competing on is a very well-known book, if only for the film that was made from it. It is in fact Il postino di Neruda, the novel by the Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta, linked to the name of Massimo Troisi. It is an opportunity to also talk metaphorically about poetry, its relevance, the feelings that can only be expressed in verse. Let's see the relationship that the kids have with poetry, let's discover which poets are their favorites and which are their least favorites. Let's also try to go further, to understand that poetry is above all a look, the ability to see things in their most intimate meaning, in the resonance that they arouse in us.

The theme of this episode is "La bolla di componenda" by Andrea Camilleri, the book on which the two high school classes compete. The challengers are the 3°F of the Nicola Spedalieri classical high school in Catania and the 5°C of the Mattioli scientific high school in Vasto. The game is hosted by Geppi Cucciari and Professor Piero Dorfles.

The theme of this episode is "Amsterdam" by Ian McEwan, the book on which the two high school classes compete. The challengers are class 5°C of the Virgilio linguistic high school in Empoli and class 5°E of the De Santis classical high school in Salerno. The game is led by Geppi Cucciari and Professor Piero Dorfles.

The theme of this episode is "Don Quixote", by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the book on which the two high school classes compete. The challengers are class 3A of the Gualtiero classical high school in Orvieto and class 5A of the Euclide classical and scientific high school in Cagliari. The game is hosted by Geppi Cucciari and Professor Piero Dorfles.

The theme of this episode is "If Not Now, When?", by Primo Levi, the book on which the two high school classes compete. The challengers are the 5° B class of the Leonardo da Vinci scientific high school in Jesi and the 3° B class of the Mario Pagano classical high school in Campobasso. The game is hosted by Geppi Cucciari and Professor Piero Dorfles.

The theme of this episode is "Howard's End", by Edward Morgan Forster, the book on which the two high school classes compete. The challengers are class 5°B of the Gian Domenico Cassini classical high school in Sanremo and class 5°A/L of the Colombo linguistic high school in Marigliano. The game is hosted by Geppi Cucciari and Professor Piero Dorfles.