News

The CRLI mourns the passing of Romano Montroni, who died at the age of 87. As President of the Centre for Books and Reading, he served on our Scientific Advisory Board, where he played a leading role in developing ambitious reading-promotion initiatives focused on children and on teacher education.

Romano was one of the defining figures of the Italian book world in the second half of the twentieth century, having transformed the very philosophy of the bookshop. In 1963, at just 24 years of age, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli appointed him director of the historic Feltrinelli bookshop in Bologna, and later of the entire Feltrinelli bookstore network. Their partnership represents one of the most revolutionary chapters in the history of Italian publishing and bookselling. Together, they overturned the traditional image of the dusty bookshop, where books were kept behind counters, introducing instead an innovative model of an open, welcoming, and accessible space where readers could wander among the shelves, browse freely, and choose books independently. Even more importantly, thanks to his extraordinary ability to bring authors and readers together, Romano Montroni transformed bookshops into places of encounter, spaces where passions could be ignited, dialogue encouraged, bridges built, and a true "shared home of culture" created, serving both as a cultural hub and a centre for community life. In recognition of his far-reaching vision and lifelong commitment to the culture of books, Umberto Eco invited him to teach in the Master's programme in Publishing that he founded at the University of Bologna. There, Romano Montroni educated generations of aspiring editors and booksellers. Eco attached great importance to cultural mediators, and it was no coincidence that he wrote the celebrated foreword to Montroni's book Vendere l'anima. Il mestiere del libraio (Selling One's Soul: The Bookseller's Profession, Laterza, 2010). Today, that work reads almost like a spiritual testament for anyone choosing this vocation. Throughout his life, Romano devoted himself to educating future generations of booksellers, also through the Umberto and Elisabetta Mauri School for Booksellers, inspiring them to love books, kindle enthusiasm, nurture dreams, and - borrowing the title of his final book - to "whisper the right books into readers' ears", books that can sometimes change a person's life. Because, as he movingly recounts in another of his works, I libri ti cambiano la vita (Books Change Your Life, Longanesi 2012), books truly have the power to transform lives.

Professor Emy Beseghi, founder and co-founder of the CRLI, invited Romano Montroni to join the Centre's Scientific Board in recognition of his unique expertise, and he accepted with great enthusiasm. We are deeply grateful that he chose to be part of this project.

The international Jury for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award has concluded its deliberations. Italy, with the University of Bologna, was among the jury members.

Since 1956, IBBY International has awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award (considered the Nobel Prize for Children's Literature) every two years to the best author of children's books. Since 1966, the same prize has also been awarded to the best illustrator. The nominees are decided by the IBBY sections in each country, while the winners are chosen by an international jury of children's literature scholars.

For the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award, Giorgia Grilli (recommended by Ibby Italia) was selected to serve on this prestigious jury. Along with nine other jurors (from Argentina, China, Egypt, Estonia, France, India, Ireland, the UK, and the USA), the scholars had a year to read approximately 400 children's and young adult works from around the world, culminating in a final in-person meeting at the International Youth Library in Munich. The Jury met for a week in January to discuss and select the winners, who will be announced at the 2026 Bologna Children's Book Fair. A valuable experience that offered a wealth of exchange and discussion opportunities among international experts committed to establish the criteria for judging quality in children's and young adult literature, and a highly intense moment of exploration and dedication to understanding the best writing and illustration to offer young readers.

The shortlist, which also includes the two winners, will be announced on Thursday, January 29th, on the Ibby International website (https://www.jbby.org/), on the page dedicated to the Hans Christian Andersen Award (https://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/awards/hans-christian-andersen-award).