Call for Papers for the International Conference
Grazia Deledda’s Waves: Networks, Memories and Legacies 100 Years After the Nobel Prize
The international conference Grazia Deledda’s Waves: Networks, Memories and Legacies 100 Years After the Nobel Prize aims at fostering new research into the life and work of Grazia Deledda, with emphasis on her networks, memories and legacies in the literary realm and beyond. The year 2026 marks the centenary of her Nobel Prize in Literature. Being the only Italian woman to have earned this recognition, Grazia Deledda holds a unique role in the history of world literature. This anniversary offers a timely opportunity for scholars to revisit her contributions through contemporary lenses, and to engage with her works in ways that acknowledge both her historical importance and modern relevance.
We encourage papers that explore various aspects of Grazia Deledda’s life and work, including:
– Deledda’s personal and professional networks: the relationships she cultivated with friends and family members as well as with other writers, intellectuals and public figures of her time.
– Deledda’s memories as they emerge in her writings as well as the memories associated with her life and works, looking at how her novels and short stories have been remembered, studied and appreciated over the decades, and how this appreciation has oscillated over time.
– Deledda’s legacies in fields such as women’s writing, children’s literature and folklore, with a focus on her influence on subsequent generations of writers and intellectuals.
As the centenary of her Nobel Prize approaches, this event will be an excellent opportunity to share innovative research on this figure and to revitalise the field of Deleddian studies, ensuring that her literary achievements continue to be recognised and celebrated on a global scale. The conference is supported by the Italian Section of the University of Cambridge, the Cambridge Intesa Sanpaolo Fund, the British Academy, the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the Society for Italian Studies and the Interdisciplinary Network for Nineteenth-Century Italian Studies Ottocentismi.
Instructions and deadlines for proposals:
We welcome submissions of both individual papers and proposals for panels:
– Proposals for papers should consist of a title, an abstract (max. 300 words) and a short biographical note (max. 200 words).
– Proposals for panels should consist of three papers. Each panel proposal should include a title, the names of the chair and the speakers, abstracts (max. 300 words each) and a short biographical note of each participant (max. 200 words).
The working languages of the conference are English and Italian. Abstracts and panel proposals can be sent either in English or in Italian. Please submit your proposals to the conference organisers Elena Sottilotta and Sara Delmedico at conferencedeledda2026@gmail.com.
The deadline for submissions is 1 February 2026. Notification of inclusion will be sent by 1 March 2026. We warmly invite scholars from interdisciplinary fields to participate in this exchange of ideas, aimed at celebrating and reexamining the long-lasting influence of Grazia Deledda.