The Strega Prize (Italian: Premio Strega [ˈprɛːmjo ˈstreːɡa]) is the most important Italian literary award. It has been given every year since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction written in the Italian language by an author of any nationality. The winning work must have been first published between March 1 of the previous year and February 28 or 29.

History

In 1944, Maria and Goffredo Bellonci began hosting a literary gathering at their home in Rome. These Sunday meetings brought together writers, artists, and thinkers, and soon included many important figures in Italian culture. The group became known as the Amici della Domenica, or Sunday Friends. In 1947, the Belloncis, along with Guido Alberti, who owned the company that makes Strega liqueur, decided to create a prize for fiction. The winner of this prize was chosen by the Sunday Friends.

The work of the Bellonci circle and the creation of the prize were seen as a step toward returning to normal life in Italy after years of Fascism, war, occupation, and liberation.

The first winner of the Strega Prize, selected by the Sunday Friends, was Ennio Flaiano for his first and only novel, Tempo di uccidere. The story is set in Africa during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The book has been translated into English as A Time to Kill and The Short Cut.

In 1971, Maria Bellonci published a history of the Strega Prize, titled Come un racconto gli anni del premio Strega.

Selection process

Since Maria Bellonci passed away in 1986, the prize has been managed by the Fondazione Maria e Goffredo Bellonci. The prize jury, now made up of 400 members who are important people in Italy’s cultural world, is still called the Sunday Friends. For a book to be considered for the prize, it must be supported by at least two members of the Sunday Friends. A long list of books is first reduced to a short list of five through voting. The second round of voting and the announcement of the winner happen on the first Thursday in July at the nymphaeum of the Villa Giulia in Rome.

Premio Strega speciale, 2006

In 2006, during the sixtieth anniversary of the Strega Prize, a special award was given to the Constitution of Italy. This document was created and approved in 1946, the same year the Strega Prize was first given. The award was received by Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, who was the former president of the Italian Republic.