Beppe Grillo's Blog: Preventive Censorship at the Book Fair

Preventive Censorship at the Book Fair

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Ernesto Ferrero, the director of the Turin Book Fair has set out his terms and conditions for my participation. Today’s edition of La Stampa specifies that if I am to be admitted to the Sala Gialla {Yellow Hall} for the closing conference it is subject to the agreement that I talk about books and that I deal with edifying points.
Headline: “La Fiera avvisa Grillo: ‘Qui si parla solo di libri’” {The Fair tells Grillo: ‘Here we talk only about books”}. Subheading: “Ferrero: “Niente comizi, spieghi il valore della lettura” {Ferrero says no political meetings, explain the value of reading”}. In the text Ferrero concludes: “I have asked him to substitute the invective with an appeal in favour of culture” Crikey, this is preventive censorship. I have decided: I cannot participate. I’m doing this for them, for the organisers. If they take away from me political meetings, the invective and above all, the concepts that are scarcely edifying what else is there for me to say?
I could talk about nano particles, of zero refuse, of citizen journalism, of the Constitution, of precarious work, of Web 2.0 information, of the Internet, of direct democracy. I could even explain that Mondadori, the most important Italian publishing group was bought thanks to the corruption of judges.
And I will do that, but not in the Sala Gialla on Monday 12 May at 2:30pm. I will do that from my home, in live streaming at the same time. Anyone connecting to the blog will be able to listen to me without censorship. I will also talk about books: of those I have done and of those I will do. The biggest online publishing success has been the book “Schiavi Moderni” collected from thousands of spontaneous witness statements and of which almost a quarter of a million copies have been downloaded for free. In the book there are invectives aimed at the law number 30, concepts that are scarcely edifying like exploitation and a political rally with the Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz against the subjecting of workers to semi-slavery.
At the Book Fair I wouldn’t be able to speak, but in front of the computer I can.
See you on Monday 12 May at 2:30pm

PS Throughout the month of May you can still sign for the V2-Day referenda.

Signature tables on Saturday 10 May: Alessandria, Altavilla Silentina, Arzano, Bologna, Brindisi, Casalnuovo di Napoli, Castellana, Cesena, Corte Franca, Faenza, Ferrara, Forlì, Genova, Impruneta, Lavagna, Mantova, Pesaro, Pistoia, Procida, Putignano, Reggio nell'Emilia, Teramo, Torino, Trento

Signature tables on Sunday 11 May: Altavilla Silentina, Andria, Arzano, Caltanissetta, Castellammare di Stabia, Castellana, Chioggia, Empoli, Genova, Pesaro, Piedimonte Matese, Putignano, Rivoli

Every day you can sign in the municipal offices of these places: Abbiategrasso, Alba, Alessandria, Altavilla Silentina, Aosta, Bagnacavallo, Bari, Bastia, Bologna, Bologna, Busto Arsizio, Calderara di Reno, Casalecchio di Reno, Castelfranco Veneto, Castel Maggiore, Catania, Chiavari, Chieri, Chieti, Chioggia, Cividale del Friuli, Diano Marina, Empoli, Faenza, Fagnano Castello, Feltre, Ferrara, Firenze, Fiumefreddo Bruzio, Fiumicino, Forlì, Fossano, Genova, Genova, Imperia, Impruneta, Ischia, L'Aquila, Lavagna, Legnano, Lentate sul Seveso, Livorno, Loiano, Lugo, Mantova, Matelica, Mesero, Monghidoro, Monterenzio, Monzuno, Novara, Novi Ligure, Paese, Pegognaga, Pesaro, Pianoro, Pistoia, Pomigliano d'Arco, Prato, Putignano, Reggio di Calabria, Rivoli, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Sala Consilina, San Giovanni in Persiceto, San Lazzaro Di Savena, Sasso Marconi, Senigallia, Sogliano al Rubicone, Soleto, Teramo, Tortona, Trento, Tricase, Trieste, Velletri, Viareggio, Vigevano, Volta Mantovana, Zola Predosa

V2-day, 25 April, for freedom of information:
1. Put your photos on www.flickr.com with the tag V2-day
2. Put your videos on www.youtube.com with the tag V2-day
3. Download the V2-day flyer
4. Buy the V2-day DVD

Click on the image

Click to see the video

Comments

Beppe,

My father was born in Northern Italy, and I've been following your blog for a year or so now. I'd love to read this book, to learn more of the land of my ancestors, but I don't understand Italian very well. Is there an English version?

Wayne

Posted by: Wayne | May 10, 2008 06:26 AM

Stay girl! Stay!

Posted by: wouldest mightested | May 7, 2008 05:33 PM

__________

Yeah... that´s as close to a girl as you´ll ever get!!

Posted by: Drink Coca-Cola | May 7, 2008 05:51 PM

But Shery, Welcome to our blog! You delicate bambina. Don't be afraid. No one here will raise finger or hurt you in any way. Please stay awhile. You're such an endearing being! Stay girl! Stay!

Posted by: wouldest mightested | May 7, 2008 05:33 PM

OOhhh!!!

Itz very zcary heere, zere is very weiolent pipel in zis shatroom. Very very strong men wo zhreaten ze ozers.

Bat fortunely zere is allzo very very intelligents grillini wiz very very intellighent messeges, such az ze wan pasted by ori-hole. Zank you Ori-hole, yu very very vell ecsplained ze situazion.

Onnly I am ztill very very schary from ze message from ze strong man (zo-two-spik) that tellz pipel very very schery wards.

Oooohhhhh!!!!
Schery!!!!!

Posted by: Me Very Frightened hahahahaha | May 7, 2008 03:33 PM

I would have told you to go fuck yourself. So, go fuck yourself. Now, would on boy.

Posted by: Wouldster mightest | May 7, 2008 03:00 PM
----------------------

Hahaha!!!!

I am sure you would... Your IQ wouldn´t get you to any more sophisticated thinking than that.

Now, would on, you would-a-wanker-who-can´t...

Hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: W W W | May 7, 2008 03:22 PM

I would have told you to go fuck yourself. So, go fuck yourself. Now, would on boy.

Posted by: Wouldster mightest | May 7, 2008 03:00 PM

Peppe, I would have woulded but couldn´t would. What would you would me to would? I would what you would any time! You can would on me!

Would be yours, truly,

Wouldo Wouldi

Posted by: W W | May 7, 2008 02:11 PM

Beppe I would have gone to the conference and would have talked about Italy as a Book of terror, and than I would have explained how things are running. Literature needs reality and what is more literary than analyzing real life? To please them I would have added some advises on how to write laws (is that also included in literarure?). I also wold have explained how to say the truth in the media, a sort of moral and ethical code.
Dont miss the opportunity the next time. If they want to use you, be the one who uses their stupdity!
Cheers,

Posted by: Oriol | May 7, 2008 01:17 PM

David Barneby, What's an atmosphere of a book fair like? Book fairs with rules are bullshit fairs. If books can talk about anything so do people, especially at book fairs. But the pompous organizers fear the word "vafanculo". The sound of that word bounces around their inner ears, driving them mad. It's the word that reveals the pickle up their asses. It's the word that cuts them down a notch or two. Pompous Italians, so full of themselves, hate the word. Apart from all of the above, their setting down of the talking rules is childish attempt to slight Grillo. It also says that Grillo is not "culture" and that culture is what they say it is. But they're so backward that they forgot there is the Web that says fuck to their culture.

Posted by: LP | May 6, 2008 07:02 PM

Is there any chance to have english subs?

Posted by: Jason R. Forbus | May 6, 2008 04:25 PM

First you invite a guest speaker and then you impose all kinds of restrictions on him? Only in Italy could people think of such a cocomamy situation.
Bebbe would have contributed in a meaninful and colorful way to this event, but he smelled a rat in a nanosecond and declined the phony invitation.

Posted by: Mark | May 6, 2008 05:43 AM

I think the restrictions put on you at the book fair are just . You should limit what you have to say to the subject of books .
It is not right that you should spoil the atmospere of a book fair ; by beating your drum about the woes of Italy , its politics and politicians .

Posted by: David Barneby | May 6, 2008 03:27 AM

Who the fuck is Ernesto Ferrero? Is he another one of those fucking "direttori" walking around with a pickle stuck up his ass? It's beyond comprehension how the fuck Italy "will lift herself up" and renew herself when relics of the ancient past are made "direttori" of anything, never mind a book fair. Has he made sure that the word "fuck" does not appear in any of the books allowed at the fair? How sure is he that any of those books does not offend his fucking sensibilities? "Qui si parla solo di libri" he orders. What the fuck does he want to talk about: how many pages his preferite book has? How many words per page? Does want to talk about the author's photo? The jacket of the book? What the fuck does he want to talk about? I know. Talk about anything but let's not talk about fuck, poverty, immigrants, the fucking government, workers dying on their jobs, the people hired because of who they know (he is probably one of them), the garbage in Campania, the incinerators, the nuclear plants they want to build, let's not talk about how the Meditarrenean is being toxicized and all the shit that goes on in Italy! In any event Ernesto, fuck you and your Yellow Hall.

Posted by: Louis Pacella | May 6, 2008 03:17 AM

TAKE AWAY THE RIGHT TO
SAY "FUCK" AND YOU TAKE
AWAY THE RIGHT TO SAY
"FUCK THE GOVERNMENT"

-LENNY BRUCE-

Posted by: LP | May 5, 2008 11:25 PM

Funny grillO should complain about censorship, since his blog is subject to very strict censorship.

I suppose he will be complaining about incoherence next...

Posted by: Cen Sor Ship | May 5, 2008 10:30 PM