Letters
letters to the editor •
Instead of summer catchphrases, a great story. The Odyssey in "Il Foglio"
Who wrote to the editor, Claudio Cerasa
1 AUG 26
Translated by AI
Getty Images
To the Editor – I am delighted to be able to read the Odyssey in "Il Foglio". I am also pleased to know the reason behind this decision. Thank you.
Luca Maffei
It all stems from Nolan’s film, of course. And it all stems from the exciting idea of a summer of 2026 characterised by an unexpected hit that has endured for almost three thousand years. The aim of the project is simple: to place a marvellous text in the hands of readers, with its dialogues, its journeys, its dreams, its fears, its emotions, its intelligence, its passion and its seductions. A book that can be read under a beach umbrella, on a train, on a ship or before going to sleep, and which, without the need for forced modernisations, continues to speak to us. Reading the Odyssey – in the translation by G. Aurelio Privitera, published in 1981 by the Lorenzo Valla Foundation in collaboration with Mondadori – means travelling, reflecting, dreaming and engaging the mind. It also means being well-prepared for the film of the year: not just to watch it, but to have more tools with which to discuss it, critique it, praise it and compare the images with the words. Every day, alongside the text, Il Foglio will also publish a special feature, following a central theme. What do we think of when we think of Ulysses? For a month, Il Foglio will thus attempt to replace the summer hit with a great story, one canto at a time. Enjoy the read.
To the editor – If it is pointless to give weapons to Zelensky because he cannot win the war, it is pointless to give votes to Bonelli because he cannot win the election.
Michele Magno
One could also say, less prosaically, that in the forthcoming elections, to give Ukraine further hope of winning the war – hoping that the war is not still raging there – we must be careful about who we want to see win and who we want to see lose, perhaps also bearing in mind those who believe the war can be won and those who believe it has already been lost.
To the Editor – Ceuta is yet another demonstration of the failure of European migration policy. The images of the victims, the deployed army and the chaos at the border show that the European Union continues to react to emergencies rather than prevent them. Every new crisis follows the same script: mutual recriminations between governments, extraordinary measures and no structural solutions. Europe needs a policy that brings together three objectives: effective control of external borders, combating smuggling networks, and cooperation with countries of origin and transit. Without these elements, we will continue to see human beings used as tools for political pressure and Member States unable to speak with one voice. Ceuta is not an isolated incident, but a symptom of a problem that Europe has been putting off for far too long. To ignore it is to set the stage for the next crisis.
Andrea Zirilli
I would rather say that Ceuta is yet another example of the failure of nationalist policies: if you want to solve global problems, you cannot rely on national solutions.
To the Editor – If someone had told me before 7 October that we would need to speak out against left-wing anti-Semitism, I wouldn’t have believed them; unfortunately, I have to change my mind, and it is painful.
Elisabetta Cimadomo
The fight against right-wing anti-Semitism is not always sincere and is often exploitative: on the right, the fight against anti-Semitism is frequently seen as a substitute for the fight against Islamism. But the fight against anti-Semitism on the left is often ridiculous: on the left, unfortunately, people underestimate the extent to which anti-Zionism has become the Trojan horse through which anti-Semitism finds its way into the mainstream. Right-wing anti-Zionism is sometimes hypocritical but it is also real. Left-wing anti-Zionism is sometimes trumpeted but it is often unreal.