The Conversation , was moderated by Nicolas Guilhot, Professor in the EUI Department of History, and was held in Italian. The EUI community and the wider public were warmly invited to join this enriching exchange.
The discussion focused on Maraini’s latest book ‘Vita mia’, in which she revisits her family’s painful experience in a Japanese internment camp during the final years of World War II, when her parents refused to support the fascist Republic of Salò. “I was afraid to write this book”, Maraini admitted, “but in the end, I realised it did me good.” She also read a moving passage from the memoir.
Maraini’s reflections went beyond personal memory to touch on broader themes of freedom, Europe, and human rights. She emphasised that what are often called ‘Western values’ —such as freedom—are in fact universal values, belonging to all humanity: “the desire for freedom concerns the entire world.” She also warned that “there is an attempt today to portray liberty and civil rights as something outdated, to be dismantled along with Europe.”
Responding to Professor Guilhot on current events, she expressed empathy for the children of Gaza: “I know what hunger is, I lived it myself. When I see these children, I feel their pain, exhaustion and heartbreak; they should never be endured. Nothing can justify this degradation of the human being.”
The conversation also explored the role of culture in confronting evil. While traditional tales often depicted evil as something external to be defeated, Maraini argued that modernity has revealed it resides within us: “Through culture, we learn to sublimate the evil inside us. Imagination is our most important engine—it allows us to understand the pain of others. That is why culture is our greatest strength.”
Maraini also spoke about her recent work 'Caro Pier Paolo', an intimate dialogue with her late friend Pier Paolo Pasolini, whose intellectual legacy continues to inspire also new generations.