Pasolini and the classics was a series of distinguished lectures organised by Emanuela Patti (University of Edinburgh) in hybrid format on the occasion of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 100th anniversary in 2022. The series was part of the celebrations Pasolini 100, co-organised with the Italian Cultural Institute in Edinburgh, and supported by the IIC Edinburgh and the Society for Italian Studies. A playlist of the recorded lectures is now available here. A synopsis of the series can be found below, while details of the speakers and individual lectures can be accessed here.
The series of events, which spanned from March to November 2022, was introduced by a conversation between actor Ninetto Davoli, Prof. Davide Messina (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Emanuela Patti (University of Edinburgh), followed by a reading of Pasolini’s poetry by Lucinda Byatt and Giorgio Granozio, and a public reception which took place on 17th March 2022 at the Italian Cultural Institute in Edinburgh. Davoli was one of Pasolini’s dearest friends and an iconic presence in his cinema. With his unruly smile and curly hair, Ninetto (as he is affectionately known) embodied the pure and irrepressible joy of the popular life. First cast as an extra in The Gospel According to Matthew (1964), he starred in many of Pasolini’s films, including the two films that were screened at the Edinburgh Filmhouse as part of this celebration: Hawks and Sparrows (1966) and The Decameron (1971). In this conversation, Ninetto took us on a journey through the memories of his friendship and work with Pasolini.
This launch event was followed by a series of lectures on the theme Pasolini and the classics which offered a unique entry point to Pasolini’s oeuvre, by focusing on the intensive and extensive relations Pasolini had with classical authors of the world literary tradition, as well as on cultural icons of cinema and visual and performative arts, such as Andy Warhol (Prof. Ara Merjan, New York University), Ezra Pound (Dr Sean Mark, Université Catholique de Lille), the tragic Greeks (Prof. Armando Maggi, University of Chicago; and Prof. Massimo Fusillo, University of L’Aquila), William Shakespeare (Dr Inma Sanchez-Garcia, University of Edinburgh), Kenjii Mizoguchi (Prof. Doi Hideyuki, University of Tokuo), Gabriele D’Annunzio (Prof. Gian Maria Annovi, University of Southern California), and Boccaccio and Chaucer (Prof. Agnes Blandeau, Université de Nantes). Each event cast light on how these relations originated and have been articulated across Pasolini’s work and beyond. With this approach, we have encouraged a reflection on forms of cultural reception, appropriation, and dialogue between Pasolini and the classics, as well as an analysis of the transmedia and transnational processes generated in these interplays. Ultimately, this series of events did only contribute to enrich the field of Italian Studies with a high profile series of lectures and discussions on Pasolini and Italian culture, but offered a productive, extensive, and diverse knowledge exchange on and across world culture.