John Stuart Mill, On Liberty - Corrado Augias
A joint initiative by publishers, writers, and booksellers
The law currently under discussion in the Senate regarding the publishability of judicial documents, approved by the Justice Committee, constitutes a serious limitation on citizens' freedom of information.
This is an essential freedom, protected not only by our Constitution but also by the European Court of Human Rights. This freedom is closely linked to freedom of the press, which is a prerequisite for the work of those who write, publish, and distribute books. We believe it is important to contribute to the reflection and exploration of a central theme of every constitutional state, every liberal democracy. These reflections and insights are largely contained in books: classic and contemporary, fiction and poetry, as well as nonfiction and manuals.
Hence the initiative we are promoting as booksellers and publishers during the week of May 31st to June 6th: readings of books on freedom in Italian bookstores.
Each bookstore will organize readings with authors and readers at a specific time and day, according to a schedule that will be announced in the coming days.
The opening ceremony will be held at the Teatro Quirino in Rome on Monday, May 31, at 5:00 PM.
Publishers, booksellers, and various authors will participate—including Corrado Augias, Carlo Bernardini, Andrea Camilleri, Gianrico Carofiglio, Guido Crainz, Rosetta Loy, Valerio Magrelli, Alessandro Pace, Antonio Pascale, Christian Raimo, Stefano Rodotà, Giovanni Sartori, Tiziano Scarpa, Marco Travaglio, Nadia Urbinati, and Chiara Valerio—who will read excerpts from books dedicated to freedom of information, opinion, choice, and the press.
The initiative is promoted by:
Marco Cassini and Daniele di Gennaro (minimum fax)
Alessandro and Giuseppe Laterza (Laterza Publishers)
Stefano Mauri (Mauri Spagnol Publishing Group)