Alberto Manguel draws a full house at the Rivoli with "Reading and Resistance"

The first day of BABELL reached its final chapter in a packed Teatro Municipal Rivoli, where the audience gathered to hear writer, essayist and historian Alberto Manguel. Under the title "Reading and Resistance", the talk traced the history of the book and the written word, reflecting on the role of reading as an instrument of freedom, critical thinking, and cultural resistance.

Author of the landmark work A History of Reading, Alberto Manguel has devoted his career to exploring the book as cultural object, collective memory, and instrument of thought. In this session, he invited the audience to reflect on the evolution of reading — from manuscripts to the digital age — highlighting its role as both an intimate gesture and a political act.