(ANSA) - VIAREGGIO (LUCCA), AUGUST 29 - "The images we see from Afghanistan, of the people huddled in the mud and then of the mothers throwing their children over the barbed wire, are like seeing throwing one's heart, our heart is a refugee in this world. I too have the desire to throw my heart over the barbed wire, because those images we see are of me. I am them, I am that child, they are all the faces of Christ. " Roberto Benigni said this last night in Viareggio (Lucca) where he received from the president of the Viareggio-Repaci Literary Prize, Paolo Mieli, the Città di Viareggio special prize. Benigni echoed the words of the winner of the narrative section Edith Bruck according to which "we live in a world of refugees": "He's right, and my heart is refusing to see pictures of mothers throwing babies over barbed wire. Those are all the faces of Christ, we can't help but help those people. There is nothing else to do ". The Oscar award said he had told" the Shoah with irony because that was fiction mediated by art, art always changes the subject it tells. Whereas today the images that come from Afghanistan are now tragic reality, it is a flame that burns, which cannot yet be treated with irony ".art always changes the subject it tells. Whereas today the images that come from Afghanistan are now tragic reality, it is a flame that burns, which cannot yet be treated with irony ".art always changes the subject it tells. Whereas today the images that come from Afghanistan are now tragic reality, it is a flame that burns, which cannot yet be treated with irony ".
Benigni, receiving the prize of the City, recalled: "I love Viareggio and I mentioned it in my film 'Life is beautiful' because even in the worst place that can exist as a concentration field, being able to say 'see you in Viareggio' becomes synonymous with joy and hope ".
Before his speech, Paolo Mieli and the conductor of the evening Monica Giandotti awarded the winners of the 92 / o'Viareggio-Repaci '. They are, in fact, Edith Bruck with "Il paneperduto" (The ship of Teseo) for fiction, Walter Siti with "Against the commitment" (Rizzoli) for non-fiction and Flavio Santicon "Quanti" (Industry and Literature) for poetry . Special acknowledgments to Annalena Benini with the Journalism Award, to Igiaba Scego with the International Award and to Alessandra Carati with the Opera Prima Award for her debut novel "And then we'll be safe" (Mondadori). (HANDLE).