For a Handful of Books - Season 18

First aired: 2/7/2015 11 episodes

Episodes

1. Neruda's Postman (by Antonio Skármeta)

Aired: 2/7/2015

In the first episode of the new season, the 5°F class of the "G. Galilei" Classical High School in Florence is competing with the 5°G class of the "Vincenzo Cuoco" Linguistic-Scientific High School in Naples. The text they are competing on is a very well-known book, if only for the film that was made from it. It is in fact Il postino di Neruda, the novel by the Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta, linked to the name of Massimo Troisi. It is an opportunity to also talk metaphorically about poetry, its relevance, the feelings that can only be expressed in verse. Let's see the relationship that the kids have with poetry, let's discover which poets are their favorites and which are their least favorites. Let's also try to go further, to understand that poetry is above all a look, the ability to see things in their most intimate meaning, in the resonance that they arouse in us.

2. The Componenda Bubble (by Andrea Camilleri)

Aired: 2/14/2015

The theme of this episode is "La bolla di componenda" by Andrea Camilleri, the book on which the two high school classes compete. The challengers are the 3°F of the Nicola Spedalieri classical high school in Catania and the 5°C of the Mattioli scientific high school in Vasto. The game is hosted by Geppi Cucciari and Professor Piero Dorfles.

3. Amsterdam (di Ian McEwan)

Aired: 2/21/2015

The theme of this episode is "Amsterdam" by Ian McEwan, the book on which the two high school classes compete. The challengers are class 5°C of the Virgilio linguistic high school in Empoli and class 5°E of the De Santis classical high school in Salerno. The game is led by Geppi Cucciari and Professor Piero Dorfles.

4. Julius Caesar (by William Shakespeare)

Aired: 2/28/2015

Julius Caesar is a masterpiece by the Bard that, by telling us a story of ancient Rome, becomes a very current metaphor of power. Shakespeare declines this metaphor by making us understand the ruthlessness of those who, out of ambition, pursue maximum power. Ruthlessness that leads to betrayal and even Brutus' parricide of Caesar. Both the murdered father and the murderous son are the losers, while Mark Antony and Octavian are triumphant and take advantage of the bloodbath to affirm the supremacy of political power. The challengers are the 5th E of the Romita scientific high school in Campobasso and the 5th B of the Claudio Cavalleri scientific high school in Castano Primo.

5. Pereira Supports (by Antonio Tabucchi)

Aired: 3/7/2015

Can a small man now on the twilight of his life change, give meaning to his life? Can a simple reporter rediscover the meaning of his work, of his role in society? These are the questions at the heart of "Sostiene Pereira", the famous novel by Antonio Tabucchi. And it is with this book that the students of a class from the scientific high school "Immanuel Kant" of Melito (Naples) and the classical high school "Amedeo di Savoia" of Tivoli (Rome) will confront each other on Saturday 7 March at 6 pm on Raitre.

6. The Ball (by Irene Nemirovsky)

Aired: 3/14/2015

Adolescence with its turmoil, frustrations and cruelty in the novel "Il ballo" by Irene Némirovsky. In this episode, the class 5°C/R of the liceo classico Giacomo Leopardi of Macerata and the liceo classico Adolfo Pansini of Naples compete.

7. The Gambler (by Fyodor Dostoevsky)

Aired: 3/21/2015

"The Gambler" is one of the most fascinating novels by Fyodor Dostoevsky. And it is with it that the boys of the 5°B of the scientific high school Augusto Righi of Bologna and of the 5°E of the scientific high school of San Giovanni in Fiore (Cosenza) play.

8. Franny and Zooey (by Jerome D. Salinger)

Aired: 3/28/2015

Franny and Zooey, the pair of siblings invented by Jerome D. Salinger, in a fascinating and disturbing family portrait divided into two stories. It is with the problematic adolescence of the young girl Franny and with the existential and religious crisis of Zooey, a handsome and famous actor, that the boys of the 3°C of the classical high school Vincenzo Gioberti of Turin and the 5°S of the high school Antonio Cascino of Piazza Armerina (Enna) have to deal.

9. The Threepenny Opera (by Bertolt Brecht)

Aired: 4/4/2015

The great twentieth-century theater on stage. The students of class 5B of the Gandhi classical high school in Casoria (Naples) and class 5D of the Isaac Newton scientific high school in Rome are confronted with "The Threepenny Opera" by Bertolt Brecht, a theatrical text with music by Kurt Weill.

10. Our Man in Havana (by Graham Greene)

Aired: 4/11/2015

Pretending to be something you are not: exactly what the protagonist of "Our Man in Havana", a novel by Graham Greene, does. This work is a comparison between the students of class 5A of the Gaetano Salvemini scientific high school in Sorrento and the students of class 5E of the Francesco Vivona classical high school in Rome.

11. A Year on the Plateau (by Emilio Lussu)

Aired: 4/18/2015

Who will be the 2015 champion of "Per un pugno di libri"? Who will win the final challenge between class 5A of the Amedeo di Savoia classical high school in Tivoli (Rome) and class 5C/R of the Giacomo Leopardi classical high school in Macerata? Those of Tivoli and Macerata are the two classes that ranked best in the preliminary competitions that this year saw students from all over Italy take part. The comparison between the finalist classes takes place on a book that has become topical again to coincide with the centenary of the First World War.