The Strega Prize
The Strega Prize is Italy's most prestigious literary award. Each year it honours the best prose fiction written in Italian by an author of any nationality.
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It originated from a literary salon hosted by Maria and Goffredo Bellonci. Known as "Amici della domenica" ("Sunday Friends"), this group of writers and intellectuals launched the prize in 1947 with Guido Alberti, producer of Strega liqueur, as sponsor.
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The first winner was Ennio Flaiano with the novel Tempo di Uccidere (The Short Cut) and Elsa Morante was the first female winner in 1957, with L'Isola di Arturo (Arturo's Island).
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To date, 400 members of the "Amici della domenica" vote annually to narrow down 12 nominated titles out of which only 5 books can become the finalists. The last round of votes determines the final winner of the the Strega Prize.
Learn more about past winners here
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The Dante Society of BC & the Strega Prize
​​​The Dante Alighieri Society of BC has been nominated La Dante's "Literary Presidium" of the Strega Prize, which means that its committee will be among those selected Dante chapters around the world contributing to the nomination of the Strega Prize winner for La Dante.
If you would like to know what being a Literary Presidium implies, click here.​
Each year, the juries of the Dante Societies's "literary presidia" around the world, including the chapter of the Dante Society of BC, cast their vote to determine the winner of the Strega Literary Prize for La Dante.
​THE STREGA PRIZE - 2024 EDITION
Find here the list of the 12 finalists for the 2024 edition.​
Watch here the announcement of the selected 12 books.
The winner of the 2024 edition of the Strega Prize was Donatella Di Pietrantonio with L'età fragile (Einaudi).
The winner of the 2024 edition of the Strega Prize
for La Dante around the world was Raffaella Romagnolo with Aggiustare l'universo (Mondadori).​