Festivaletteratura Mantova 2026: 30th Anniversary Guests and Program

Festivaletteratura will hold its 30th edition in Mantova from September 9 to 13, 2026, featuring more than 300 authors from around the world. According to the event’s presentation, the festival intends to use literature not just as a place of memory, but as a tool for living in the present and cultivating “healthy utopias.”

Who is attending the 30th Festivaletteratura?

The guest list for this milestone edition includes a wide range of international figures. According to the organizers, attendees will include Niccolò Ammaniti, Tim Berners-Lee, Emmanuel Carrère, and Irvine Welsh.

Other confirmed guests listed in the presentation are Alessandro Barbero, Geoff Dyer, Mathias Énard, Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, and Amitav Ghosh. The lineup also features Gisèle Pelicot, Daniel Pennac, Bianca Pitzorno, David Szalay, Ece Temelkuran, and Lea Ypi.

Additional participants include Natasha Brown, Gino Cecchettin, Francesco Costa, Didier Fassin, Isabella Hammad, Siri Hustvedt, Theodor Kallifatides, Kim Bo-young, Luciana Littizzetto, Sarah Lubala, Lorrie Moore, i Motus, Emma Nolde, Helen Oyeyemi, Pajtim Statovci, Douglas Stuart, Hervé Tullet, Sandro Veronesi, Hélène Vignal, Eyal Weizman, Tommy Wieringa, Andrea Wulf, and Matteo Zuppi.

Did You Know? The very first promotional flyer distributed in the city described Festivaletteratura as a “manifestation of cultural fun.”

What themes will the festival explore?

The 30th edition focuses on identity and belonging in a world where people increasingly feel like strangers. Organizers state the program will examine what it means to be 30 years old today.

The event will also address the “formidable—and uncontrollable?” power of new technologies and the mystery of the living universe. According to the presentation, the festival aims to decipher the rules governing a “present of exceptions” and imagine possible futures.

Discussions will extend to the growth of hatred and new class conflicts. The goal, per the organizers, is to interrogate the present without using simplifications.

Expert Insight: Samantha Carter notes that pairing the father of the Web, Tim Berners-Lee, with “dark” literary influences like H.P. Lovecraft highlights the festival’s attempt to bridge the gap between technological advancement and the primal human fear of the unknown.

How will the anniversary be celebrated?

The event will serve as a birthday celebration for the festival. Planned activities include music played from balconies, “strampalate” (eccentric) parades, and the creation of improbable ethnographic museums.

Literary exercises will include stories written in exactly 30 words. These festive elements are designed to maintain the “happy utopia” that the festival has fostered for three decades.

To ground these modern discussions, the festival will look to the past. Ippolito Nievo and H.P. Lovecraft will serve as the “tutelary deities” of this edition, chosen for their omnivorous literary passion and fascination with the unknown.

What may happen next?

Based on the presentation’s ambition to keep “trying new ways,” the festival could expand its experimental formats in future years. The organizers suggested that the spirit of the 30th anniversary may be pushed “even more” during next year’s event.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the 30th Festivaletteratura taking place?
It will be held in Mantova from Wednesday, September 9, to Sunday, September 13, 2026.

How many authors are expected to participate?
Over 300 authors from across the globe are expected to attend.

Which classic authors are being honored this year?
Ippolito Nievo and H.P. Lovecraft are the tutelary authors for the 30th edition.

Do you believe literature can serve as a practical tool for navigating modern technological changes?