“Do you know what our life is? Yours and mine? A dream made in Sicily. Maybe we are still there and we are dreaming.” This sentence by Leonardo Sciascia seems to be an ideal introduction to Francesco Frullini’s story “Ultimo caffè a Comiso” (Last coffee in Comiso), which ranked first at the 15th edition of the national writing contest Caffè Letterario Moak. A tender, melancholy and bittersweet love story that goes beyond time and sickness, where coffee is able to recall memories. This is the motivation given by the panel of judges consisting of Cinzia Tani, writer, journalist and TV hostess of RAI, Elena Stancanelli, finalist at the Premio Strega 2016, writers Santo Piazzese and Gianluca Morozzi, and Enza Campino, responsible of the column “parola di libraio” (word of the bookseller), cultural insert of Il Sole 24 Ore. The second prize went to the story “Caffè Freddo” by Irene Pavon, who took the cue from an old coffee maker found at home, which surprisingly still encloses the aroma of coffee, in order to reconnect the drama with the acceptance of an apparently inexcusable gesture.
“Affondo di caffè” (Plunge of coffee) was the third awarded work. Author Alberto Gallo from Naples set his story in World War II in Germany, field 9. In order to take the humiliation to prepare coffee also for the Nazi enemy that even subjugated his wife, Karloff makes an extreme gesture anesthetized by his pain.
This edition had some moving and sorrowful topics, which the authors, however, were able to narrate with great writing skills that somehow show the mirror of a society and the real soul of those who have the gift to convert words into stories, memories and emotions.
Winner of the Quadrato della Palma of the Belgiorno Award, dedicated each year to the youngest and most talented writer of the contest, was Stefano Maltoni, aged thirty. The prize was assigned by Pier Paolo Ruta of the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, friend of the famous writer of Modica Franco Antonio Belgiorno, commemorated by Moak in the last six editions. The top ten stories chosen by the panel of judges will be published within the anthology “Stories about coffee”.
The prize-giving evening hosted by stellar speaker of Radio Capital Betty Senatore was held on October 29th in the premises that have become official location of the gala evening of the two contests: Moak’s industrial area, where tons of freshly roasted coffee beans are stored every day, and where the smell of fresh roasted coffee stays with you when going out. Reason for the location: not only the best blends are created there, but also the passion for culture, the wish to find a good reason to introduce young artists with different art forms. While the silhouette of Gesualdo Bufalino – Moak wanted to pay homage to the writer in the 2016 edition in occasion of the 20th anniversary of his death – was leading on the stage, the audience was fascinated by the live performance of Parole Note, successful format of Giancarlo Cattaneo and Maurizio Rossato, well-known voices of Radio Capital, within an atmosphere of fusion between music, pictures and words. According to Annalisa Spadola, Moak Marketing Director and creator of the contests, “Celebrating the 15th edition of the event has been a nice goal which make one think how real passions last, and if they survive it means that other people share them with us and cultivate them like we do. Writing, photography, music and visual arts are different, but arouse every year more and more interest of artists of all ages and places when put together or compared to each other. It’s a good sign that culture brings together, just like coffee”.
