In the end, Paolo Nori gives up the course on Dostoevsky and bids farewell to the Bicocca University of Milan.
The confirmation comes in a post published yesterday evening and after the University had decided to turn around the decision to postpone the course held by the teacher , as communicated to him in an email that caused a sensation, citing reasons related to a "Restructuring" of the course.
"The Vice Rector of Bicocca Casiraghi tells the reasons why they suspended my course", explains Nori in the post. To 'restructure the course and broaden the message to open students' minds. Adding some Ukrainian authors to Dostoevsky '”. "I do not agree with this idea that if you speak of a Russian author you must also speak of a Ukrainian author - continues Nori - but everyone has their own ideas. If they think so, they do well. Unfortunately I do not know Ukrainian authors, so I free them from commitment they made and the course that I should have done in Bicocca I will do elsewhere. ”Then thanks to“ all those who offered themselves ”to host the course, to which the writer informs him he will reply“ shortly ”.
Nori has been invited in the last few hours by other universities to hold the same lessons, from Pavia to Siena. And at the IULM, where he teaches “Editorial translation of Russian non-fiction”, his students write: “We share the bewilderment at the choice of Bicocca. Dostoevsky, a pillar of world literature, cannot be suddenly dismissed just because he is Russian ”. “In a harrowing moment for humanity, we believe Russian literature is a drug and not a poison” the young people continue, inviting IULM to ask Nori to hold seminars on Dostoevsky.
Yesterday, the minister of the University Cristina Messa also intervened on the case, who at Bicocca also held the role of rector: "It is important that Nori's lessons be held with the support of the university", he explained, adding that Dostoevsky “is a heritage of inestimable value and culture remains a free field of exchange and enrichment”.
