Macchie azzurre, in una serata d'estate

In this, his first novel, Giovanni Fontana weaves an existential tale that unfolds between Lombardy and Switzerland, from the 1930s to the present day: the story of Elena, a woman on a painful journey of self-discovery, whose mysterious and elusive silhouette takes shape against the light, through the mosaic of perspectives of those who have shared her path (her sons Luca, the ailing eldest, and Pietro, a mediocre embodiment of common sense; her neurotic husband; her brother; her sister-in-law; a priest; a psychoanalyst; a caregiver).

Giovanni Fontana was born in 1959 in Mendrisio and taught for nearly forty years in Ticino high schools. As a critic, he focused primarily on the 20th century, both in poetry (Betocchi, Luzi, Orelli) and in prose (Morante, Tadini). After his narrative debut with the short story collection Breve pazienza di ritrovarti. Nel gorgo di salute e malattia (Interlinea 2015), which won the Swiss Literature Prize, Giovanni Fontana returns to bookstores with his first novel: Macchie azzurre, in una sera d’estate, published by Castelvecchi editore.

Paolo Di Stefano, a writer and journalist, was born in Avola (Syracuse) in 1956 and grew up in Lugano. After earning a degree in Romance Philology from the University of Pavia, he contributed to the “Corriere del Ticino” and “La Repubblica” before beginning to work for the “Corriere della Sera,” where he edited the culture section for many years. He is the author of critical essays, short stories, poems, and novels (Una giornata meravigliosa, Feltrinelli 2025).