Revealing the cover of PARADISO by Michele Masneri and translated from Italian by Richard Village.
Described as a Fellini film colliding with The White Lotus, or Paolo Sorrentino colliding with Alan Bennett, the book is a darkly comic, social media generation satire on power, cultural currency and the enduring legacy of the Eternal City.
On the hottest day of the hottest summer anyone in Milan can remember, young journalist Federico Desideri is sent to Rome to meet Italy’s latest Oscar-winning director. Instead of nailing the interview, he ends up in Paradiso, a gloriously decadent estate on the Lazio coast. But is everything there as heavenly as its name suggests?
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“The book everyone is talking about. By our sharpest writer, who is as cynical as he is tender” Luca Guandagnino, Director of *CALL ME BY YOUR NAME*
“Its satire, drama and lush scenery mask a core of darkness. The decadence hidden beneath the cultural posturing and nostalgia create a surreal mix of beauty and grotesque decay.” BOOKBLAST
“A darkly comic journey through the Roman night, among eccentric characters and disenchanted glamour” CORRIERE DELLA SERA
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Nostalgic Italian style meets biting social comedy in this vivid and cinematographic novel, with hilarious cast of characters that give a warts and all look at Rome and its creatives. Ideal for lovers of the full Italian cultural experience, blending the high of cinema and literature, with the popular. The perfect Summer read!
PARADISO will be available in bookshops from the 26th May 2026, and is available to pre-order from our website now.
#itlianliterature #italianculture #transaltedliterature #readingaroundtheworld #michelemasneri #richardvillage #foundryeditions
PARADISO BY MICHELE MASNERI
The author in conversation with Antonello Guerrera
A scorching summer. An ambitious journalist. A Rome suspended between glamour and illusion.
@iiclondra and @foundryeditions are delighted to welcome Michele Masneri for a conversation on his latest book PARADISO - out soon in the English translation by Richard Village (Foundry Editions).
Sent from Milan to Rome to interview Italy’s latest Oscar-winning director, Federico Desideri is pulled into a dazzling world of appearances, ambition and contradictions in the Eternal City.
A witty and stylish social comedy for the social media age.
10 June
6.30 pm
@iiclondra
Book now – Link in bio
📖 𝑴𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒊 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒐 📖
Author @michi.mas will present the English translation of 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒐 by @foundryeditions on 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟵:𝟬𝟬 at @toppingsedin .
On the hottest day of one of the hottest summers anyone has ever known, young journalist Federico Desideri is sent on an apparently routine assignment; to snatch an interview with Italy’s latest Oscar winning film director. But in Rome. Far from the comforts of his native Milan. When the director turns out to be elusive, and the Romans as rough as their reputation, Federico falls in with Barry Volpicelli, the rumoured inspiration behind the winning movie’s lead character – a seductive, fast-talking, America-obsessed rogue, and instead of finding his interviewee, he finds himself in Paradiso-Barry’s crumbling country estate on the Lazio coast, with an eccentric cast of inhabitants who seem frozen in time.
Members, students, and friends of the Institute can access discounted tickets for the event via our website!🎫
📚 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑪𝒍𝒖𝒃 📚
Are you looking for a way to bridge the gap between "learning" Italian and truly "living" the language?🇮🇹
Over three sessions, we’ll dive deep into 𝑴𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒊's novel, 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒐:
✨ Explore the author’s background and themes
✨ Improve your grammar and vocabulary through guided reading
✨ Engage in high-level discussions with fellow Italophiles
📅From Tuesday, 19th May
📍 Italian Institute of Culture in Edinburgh
👥 Level: Advanced (B2–C2)
📧 Info & enrolments: [email protected]
Continuano le mie presentazioni di libri da incubo, questa volta Cerasa (è un bel direttore! Un apostolo! Gonfliddo di interessi). Attenzione, il video contiene piedi di Arianna Meloni e baciamano di Gianni Letta e mia fronte sudata vabbè #rai3 #labibliotecadeisentimenti
𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐎 di @michi.mas e @tongi_p è candidato ai @nastridargento come 𝑴𝒊𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝑫𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐 - 𝑪𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒂, 𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐, 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂 🎬
Grazie al SNCCI per la candidatura.
#StileAlberto #AlbertoArbasino #Documentario
Nell’era delle repliche, replica della puntata da Piu libri più liberi, polemiche e cani poliziotti, c’era ancora Maduro vabbè @instarai3 #labibliotecadeisentimenti @_maria_latella
