Two great protagonists of twentieth-century Italian culture, Fabrizio De André and Pier Paolo Pasolini, are portrayed through their works, their nonconformist thinking, and their shared concern for the less fortunate.

This is the underlying theme of "God is free, neighbors cost money. The Gospel of De André and Pasolini," published this year by Arcana Edizioni, the new essay by journalist and writer Alfredo Franchini, which will be presented tomorrow, Saturday, November 7, at 5:00 pm in the foyer of the Teatro Massimo in Cagliari.

The free event is part of the "Legger_ezza" literary festival, a reading promotion project now in its eighth edition, curated by CeDAC Sardegna in collaboration with the Edumondo bookshop.

Monsignor Giuseppe Baturi, Archbishop of Cagliari and Secretary General of the CEI, will speak alongside the author in a discussion that will explore literature, music, cinema, and spirituality.

Gianni Agnesa will coordinate the meeting.

A professional journalist who spent decades analyzing politics and economics, Alfredo Franchini gradually shifted his focus to chronicling people, their stories, and society's contradictions.

Her relationship with Fabrizio De André, which lasted twenty years, fueled a significant part of her literary production.

His books include "Men and Women by Fabrizio De André" and "These are the dreams that keep you awake. The story of an employee, the rock opera of Cristiano De André," both published by Arcana.

In his new essay, Franchini brings together two profoundly different artistic personalities, yet united by an extraordinary ability to observe the world from the perspective of the excluded.

On one side, De André, the Genoese singer-songwriter who chose Sardinia as his second homeland; on the other, Pasolini, a poet, writer, and director capable of lucidly interpreting the transformations of post-war Italy.

Two free spirits, often in conflict with power and conventions, who gave voice to the marginalized, the poor, prostitutes and those who lived on the margins of society.

The book focuses above all on their relationship with the figure of Jesus Christ, approached outside of more conventional interpretations.

Pasolini, a Marxist intellectual, created “The Gospel According to Matthew” in 1964, choosing the landscapes of Southern Italy and the Sassi of Matera to tell the story of a Christ close to the humble, bearer of a message of justice and radical change.

De André, with his 1970 album “La Buona Novella,” inspired by the apocryphal Gospels, proposed a poetic and profoundly human reading of the evangelical story, in which rebellion against injustice is intertwined with the ideals of brotherhood and equality.

Two works different in language and sensibility, but united by the search for a spirituality that transcends the boundaries of religious affiliation.

This is precisely one of the most significant aspects of Franchini's investigation, which identifies in the works of the two artists a vision of the sacred capable of coexisting with doubt, criticism of institutions, and the rejection of ideological impositions.

The participation of Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi adds a particularly interesting perspective to the meeting: the dialogue between the author and the Cagliari prelate will offer an opportunity to reflect on the contemporary meaning of the Gospel message, the relationship between faith and culture, and the centrality of human dignity—themes that run through both De André and Pasolini's work.

The book also addresses pressing current issues, from the relationship between religion, politics, and economics to social tensions, and new forms of solitude and individualism.

Through the words, images, and music of two artists who have influenced entire generations, Franchini invites us to rediscover the value of freedom of thought and solidarity, questioning what, even today, makes our existence profoundly human.

LP

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