THE SAVED BOOK
Just One Before the Fire

Project centered on the play *Il fuoco era la cura*
carried out in collaboration with La Fiera dei Librai and the Bergamo City Library System

A book written in 1953 and set at the beginning of the 21st century—right at the point on the timeline where we are now. Ray Bradbury’s *Fahrenheit 451* is this and much more: it is a provocation—a vision of a possible future that has already happened, of an unspecified time and place where someone resists to stem humanity’s blind impulse toward destruction. At its heart is an object—the book—which preserves the paths taken by humanity, the words of their thoughts, and the reality of their dreams.

The inclusion of *Fire Was the Cure*—which interprets Bradbury’s words through Sotterraneo’s distinctive style—is at the heart of a project carried out in collaboration with the Booksellers’ Fair and the Urban Library System. We return to the final pages of *Fahrenheit 451*, where, as books are destroyed, the men and women who want to save them end up preserving them in their memories, becoming the books themselves.

Based on this image, viewers, readers, and citizens will be asked a specific question: Which book would you save from a fire first, given the times we live in?

In the first phase, you can suggest the book you’d like to save for yourself and for others—the essential book that you believe is needed. The 33 books with the most votes will form a list, from which a collective vote will determine the title to be saved. At that point, we’ll all sit down together to read this book, in a sort of collective ritual.

CALENDAR

October 6 – November 13, 2026: First voting phase

You can vote using the designated form or by filling out the postcards available at the theater box office, libraries in Bergamo, and independent bookstores throughout the city. All you need to do is choose the book you’d like to save and write its title on the designated form.

November 27, 2026: Selection of the 33 finalist books

During a public event as part of the “Librai per un anno” series—which will feature Alessandro Bergonzoni—the list of the 33 books that received the most votes will be read aloud, and the second phase of voting will begin. The event will take place at Gres Art 671, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Reservations at www.fieradeilibrai.it

November 27, 2026 – February 16, 2027: Second round of voting

You can vote either through the online form or by using the postcards. All you need to do is choose a book to save from the list of 33 finalists and let us know which one you’ve chosen.

February 18, 2027: Announcement of the “Book to Save”

At the end of the second performance of the play *Il fuoco era la cura*, the book selected as the contest winner—the one “worth saving”—will be announced.

April 17, 2027: Book launch for “Salvato”

To mark the opening of the Booksellers’ Fair, there will be a presentation of the book “Salvato” featuring a special guest, followed by a group reading of the text.

VOTING – First Phase

October 6 – November 13, 2026
Choose the book you’d like to save and enter it in the form below

CHOOSE THE BOOK YOU WANT TO SAVE!

Collaborations

Book Fair The Bergamo Book Fair is organized by a group of independent bookstores in the city and province: a tradition that began 67 years ago and has evolved into an event that serves as a true model for promoting culture, enlivening the city, and offering opportunities for deeper engagement—or simply as a pleasant place to gather. In past editions, the event has been praised by the President of the National Center for Books and Reading, who symbolically named it a model for all other Italian book fairs.

The Bergamo City Library System
The system consists of the “Antonio Tiraboschi” Public Library and seven branch libraries located throughout the city, which, as stated in the “UNESCO Manifesto on Public Libraries,” guarantee free access to knowledge and information, regardless of gender, social status, or religious belief, by developing specific projects and initiatives to promote reading.