HESPERUS

The Angels of Sottilmonte

Foreword by Alessandro Quasimodo

The story seeks to demonstrate a thesis: generosity and sharing with others can break down prejudice and arrogance. The text's merit, however, lies in its focus on narrative, avoiding being limited to generic or abstract ideas.
The reader is drawn into the plot, which unfolds following a natural disaster, an earthquake that has a devastating effect, especially in an unidentified city, not far from a village called Sottilmonte.
The opening scene introduces a family, the parents and their three children, who survived despite the collapse of their home. They flee to a village that warmly welcomes them, thanks to the encounter with another family, a couple and their four children, who teach them a life lesson.
Initially, the arrogance of Omar, Ahmed, and Amira threatens to impede a dialogue with their guests: Marta, Carlo, Paolo, Carlotta, and the twins, Giulio and Lucia.
It is precisely the two figures of Miriam and Mario, Omar's wife and youngest son, who understand the role of angels played by these simple people, so willing to help their fellow man. It's not easy to give up some comforts to lend a hand to brothers struck by misfortune.
The evangelical message of love for one's neighbor is embedded in a contemporary reality characterized by a predilection for the virtual world, such as the frequent moodiness caused by a lack of internet connection. Losing sight of fundamental values ​​risks becoming superficial, incapable of analyzing moods and establishing deep friendships.
The author carefully sketches the psychology of the various characters, distinguishing the arrogance of those who boast of social advancement from the spontaneity of people still intact in their success. It's about rediscovering those principles that teach us to respect everyone we know, avoiding judging by appearances.
The text devotes considerable space to descriptions of the home into which Omar and his loved ones move; Rooms, furniture, and objects parade before us in a concrete and tangible way, words transforming into images as the details revealed become clear.
The role of the gaze in this context should also not be overlooked: Miriam's penetrating and eloquent eyes follow us, revealing her humility, but also her determination. The metamorphosis that takes place in Omar's heart after he has acted contemptuously and haughtily, even toward his own woman, is significant.
The syntax is clear and flowing, and the vocabulary is in tune with the situation depicted.

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Press release for the publication of the audiobook
"The Angels of Sottilmonte".
The values ​​of hospitality and love for others in an audiobook
The story of two families intertwines in the aftermath of an earthquake

The story by Silvano Adami, a Florentine author, "The Angels of Sottilmonte," published by Aletti, is a true life lesson. It's the day after a powerful earthquake that struck an unidentified town not far from the village of Sottilmonte, where a family—the parents and their three children who survived the collapse of their home—flee and find shelter. Mother, father, and four children open the doors of their home to them, but, above all, they open their hearts, which will never cease to be generous and loving, even in the face of hostile, arrogant, and ungrateful attitudes. Initially, it won't be easy to understand the angelic role played by these simple people, so eager to help their fellow human beings and even willing to give up some comforts to lend a hand to their brothers and sisters in misfortune.
This book becomes an audiobook, narrated by Alessandro Quasimodo, author, poet, and director, son of Nobel Prize winner Salvatore Quasimodo, who also wrote the preface. "The evangelical message of love for one's neighbor has been adapted into contemporary reality, characterized by a predilection for the virtual world, such as the frequent moodiness when there's no internet connection; by losing sight of fundamental values, one risks becoming superficial, incapable of analyzing moods and establishing deep friendships."
The plot unfolds with a constant focus on others, on details, on the psyches of the carefully described characters, and the narrative flows linearly and compellingly. "The audiobook," explains the author, who lives in Florence, "has the advantage of reaching even those who are lazy enough to pick up a paper book and leaf through it. Furthermore, if the reader is able to interpret the spirit of the author, it certainly takes on a greater meaning."
The values ​​of sharing, generosity, respect, and Love (with a capital L) emerge page after page, against all forms of violence, oppression, and discrimination. "What I write is always the product of my imagination, but in many cases, it could also represent something real, as in the story we're talking about: places and people are the product of fantasy, but the situations they find themselves in could be reflected in reality. The story," explains Silvano Adami, "was born almost like a dream during a half-sleep on a hot summer night that made sleeping difficult. When I awoke, what I had dreamed remained in my mind, and I began to write, and from that small embryo, page by page, the story was born; My poems, other stories, and the two books I've published were born in the same way."
The work is a hymn to life in its deepest meaning, which the author wishes to convey without limits or prejudice, but above all with an unconditional love that respects others and never judges by appearances. "To have a free and peaceful society, we must distance ourselves from hatred, violence, discrimination, and racism, but consider ourselves all brothers and sisters, despite the diversity of our ideas, beliefs, religions, or races."