Last episode of "I write to you about the world, I talk to you about myself"

On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 6:15 PM, the Giovanni Canna Civic Library in Casale Monferrato will host the final event of the series "I Write About the World, I Speak About Me. Reading Recommendations: How to Explore Great Authors Through Their Autobiographical Pages," the second edition of the initiative curated by Barbara Marini. This event will be dedicated to Etty Hillesum, the Dutch writer who died in Auschwitz in 1943. "And we must be able to endure these times together and get through them, and we must support each other in everything, and love one another." Esther Hillesum, known as Etty, was born in Middelburg on January 15, 1914, and is a Dutch writer of Jewish origin. Daughter of a classical languages teacher and a Russian mother who arrived in Amsterdam following the pogrom in 1907, Etty first graduated in law and then enrolled in the faculty of Slavic languages, but was forced to interrupt her studies due to the war. She later completed her studies in Russian languages and literature and taught at the People's University of Amsterdam. She became one of the closest friends of the Jungian psychologist Julius Spier, for whom she worked as a secretarial assistant, becoming deeply involved with psychoanalytic theories in this field. Between 1941 and 1943, she kept a diary that was published in the Netherlands and later translated into other countries. She worked as a typist at a branch of the Jewish Council but, strong in her humane and religious convictions, refused to seek safety. Instead, she worked as a social worker in the Westerbork refugee transit camp established in the Netherlands. It was a camp where Jews and Gypsies were rounded up before being deported to Nazi concentration camps. On September 7, 1943, her entire family was deported to Auschwitz. On November 30 of the same year, Etty died. She never denied the horror of her imprisonment, but in her writings, she never accepted the role of victim, testifying that in the most extreme conditions, no one can rob one's dignity as a human being. She is perhaps the first great twentieth-century witness to empathy (in the common and fashionable sense today) and to the indestructible beauty of the world. Through Giorgio Milani's readings of the notebooks, letters, notes, and diaries of great authors, "I Write About the World, I Speak to You of Myself. Reading Recommendations: How to Access Great Authors Through Their Autobiographical Pages" will allow us to grasp the thoughts, questions, and experiences that inspired their works. The approach will not be that of an academic lecture, but rather a meeting of reflections and suggestions, aimed at establishing a dialogue between the author, his work, and the reader, demonstrating how literary themes still question humanity today and offer insights into authentic knowledge. Barbara Marini, originally from Perugia, after graduating in Aesthetics, lives in Florence, where she collaborates with publishing houses and manages a contemporary art space, where she organizes cultural events and books. She later moved to Mugello to live and write completely immersed in nature, organizing numerous cultural events and hosting book presentations. She also collaborates with the newspaper Vita.it and combines these activities with teaching and copyediting. She holds a Master's degree in Autobiographical Writing and recently moved to Monferrato. Access to the initiative is free. For further information, please contact the Civic Library at 0142.444246 and 0142.444297, or by email at bibliote@comune.casale-monferrato.al.it