World Literature: Andrea Bajani’s “The Anniversary” (Italy) with Anderson Tepper

Photo Credit: Adolfo Frediani. Photo Courtesy: Other Press.

Can you leave your family behind? Can you slam the door, walk down the stairs, and decide never to see them again? Can you ever escape the grip of your origins?

One of Italy’s most notable contemporary novelists, Andrea Bajani, faces these questions head-on in his Strega Prize–winning novel, L’anniversario (The Anniversary). This September, Andrea and City of Asylum Advisory Board member Anderson Tepper dive into this subtle yet heartrending portrait of an abusive marriage in patriarchal Italy and a son’s liberating decision to cut contact with his parents.

“[L’anniversario is] a book that confronts the purity of fact, the tyranny of memory, and the totalitarianism of family like no other.” —Jhumpa Lahiri

Celebrating one decade since he last saw his parents, a son reflects upon the family dynamic he escaped 10 years prior. With time and space, he finally feels able to tell their story. The Anniversary is his eloquent account of a family devastated by a father’s violence and the woman who silently accepts him; of an airless relationship, unsettled only by the ringing of a telephone, a visiting classmate, or a friend soon pushed away. It is the story of a son possessed by the irrepressible desire to be free: to be himself, to live his own life, to open up to others without fear of reprisals. The Anniversary is a reminder of both the power of stepping away from toxic cycles, and of the fallout that can stick with us when we do. 

This program will be followed by a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks for all artists and attendees.

About the Author:

Andrea Bajani was born in Rome in 1975. He is the author of many award-winning novels, including If You Kept a Record of Sins and The Book of Homes. The Anniversary received Italy’s highest literary award, the Strega Prize, in 2025 and will be published in more than twenty-five countries. Bajani is currently a writer in residence at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

About the Moderator:

Anderson Tepper is a guest curator of PEN America’s World Voices Festival and a longstanding member of the Brooklyn Book Festival’s Literary Council and international committee. Formerly of Vanity Fair, his writing on books and authors has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, and World Literature Today, among other publications. Anderson also serves on City of Asylum’s Advisory Board.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.