Reading The Hostage together, in memory of Francesca Lolli

At the initiative of the Italy-Israel Association, the book “L’ostaggio” (Newton Compton 2026) was presented on April 28th at the Camis De Fonseca Foundation headquarters at Via Pietro Micca 15. This book offers a direct and profound account of Eli Sharabi, who, from October 7, 2023, was held prisoner by Hamas in the Gaza tunnels for 491 days. The afternoon was dedicated to the memory of our dear librarian Francesca Lolli, who has always been deeply involved in the events organized by Italy-Israel. Lea Fubini, Community Councilor, spoke to us about her.
In the author’s absence, we chose not to conduct a critical analysis of the text but to engage the audience through a reading of several gripping passages, whose powerful drama is heightened by the (obvious yet crucial) fact that it is not fiction, but rather a firsthand experience of physical and psychological violence/coercion pushed to the limits of tolerability, of almost unimaginable resistance and resilience, of pain experienced alongside the entire microcosm of the hatufim (kidnapped) with whom all Israelis (and the entire Jewish world) wept and cried for two years. Retracing Eli Sharabi’s story, which was strongly supported by the audience, were Lorenzo Giustetto’s reading and Valerio Venturini’s narrative summary.
L’ostaggio won the 2026 edition of the “Adelina Della Pergola” Literary Prize, which is held annually by Adei-Wizo.

David Sorani