The Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin and the FIILI Association
present
Festival of Italian and Irish Literature in Ireland – 2026
Fourth Edition
“Literature as Resistance’
25.09 ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI CULTURA DI DUBLINO | 26.09 TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
This September sees the fourth edition of FIILI, dedicated to the theme Literature as Resistance. We are delighted to welcome to Dublin so many outstanding writers, translators and poets from both countries.
Co-organised by Michela Linda Magrì, Director of the Italian Institute of Culture, and authors & co-curators Catherine Dunne and Enrica Ferrara, the festival will highlight the work of Italian poets and writers Laura Pugno, Daria Bignardi, Giuseppe Catozzella, Viviana Fiorentino, Antonella Lattanzi, Tommaso Pincio, and Nadeesha Uyangoda.
Irish writers and poets in conversation are Michael Cronin, Martina Devlin, Martin Doyle, Wendy Erskine, Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Gustav Parker Hibbett, Caitríona Lally, Paul McVeigh and Paul Murray.
This year, FIILI will also host a Masterclass in Translation, facilitated by award-winning translator Sophie Hughes, and a Masterclass in Creative Writing, facilitated by award-winning writer Paul McVeigh.
The Festival of Italian and Irish Literature in Ireland (FIILI) is an initiative of the Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin, the FIILI Association, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann and Trinity College Dublin (part-funded from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Events Fund). It is supported by Literature Ireland, Foras na Gaeilge, the Society for Italian Studies, the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation and the Irish Writers’ Centre.
Here you can find the official programme, which you can download here as a pdf.
Friday 25 September
ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI CULTURA
11 Fitzwilliam Square East – Dublino 2
Event in English – Free admission to one or more events, with booking required at this link:
14.30-16.00 – Masterclass* in Literary Translation: Seeking Perfection
Sophie Hughes – you can purchase the tickets at this link.
16.15-16.30 – Opening
Ambassador of Italy Nicola Faganello
Michela Linda Magrì (IIC Dublin Director)
16.30-17.45 – Translators Panel
Translation as Resistance
Sophie Hughes, Tommaso Pincio
Moderated by James Hadley
18.00-19.30 Readings and Book Signing
Daria Bignardi, Giuseppe Catozzella, Michael Cronin, Martina Devlin, Wendy Erskine, Viviana Fiorentino, Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Gustav Parker Hibbett, Sophie Hughes, Caitríona Lally, Antonella Lattanzi, Paul McVeigh, Laura Pugno, Nadeesha Uyangoda Moderazione di Catherine Dunne ed Enrica Ferrara
Saturday 26 Settembre
TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN – Regent House
Dublin 2
Event in Italian and English, with simultaneous interpretation between English, Italian and Irish.
Free admission to one or more events, with booking required at this link:
10.00-11.30 – Masterclass/Workshop* in Creative Writing: What’s the Big Idea?
Paul McVeigh – you can purchase the tickets at this link.
11.45-12.00 – Opening
Michela Linda Magrì (IIC), Enrica Ferrara, Catherine Dunne
12.00-13.00
“The Pram in the Hall” as an Act of Resistance
Caitríona Lally, Antonella Lattanzi
Moderated by Catherine Dunne
13.45-14.45
Words of Resistance: Living (in) Poetry
Laura Pugno, Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Gustav Parker Hibbett
Moderated by Viviana Fiorentino
15.00-16.00
The Power of the Personal: Resisting Contemporary Noise
Martin Doyle, Daria Bignardi
Moderated by Michael Cronin
16.15-17.15
“Dysfunctional” Families and the Search for Identity
Nadeesha Uyangoda, Paul Murray
Moderated by Claudia Dellacasa
17.30-18.30
What Reality? History, Dystopia, and Speculative Fiction
Martina Devlin, Laura Pugno, Tommaso Pincio
Moderated by Enrica Ferrara
18.45-19.45
Fiction as an Act of Political Resistance
Wendy Erskine, Giuseppe Catozzella
Moderated by Sinéad Mac Aodha