By Patrizia Riello Pera, Padua, Italy.

In 1986, the Campiello Prize was awarded to Alberto Ongaro for “La partita”, a novel that brings back to the centre of Italian fiction the pleasure of great adventure and of storytelling built on mystery, the unexpected, and the continual transformation of events. The work stands out for its ability to draw the reader into a story rich in tension and movement, in which every episode opens up new perspectives and every choice made by the characters generates unforeseen consequences. Ongaro displays an extraordinary skill in constructing a narrative that advances with a confident and compelling rhythm, constantly keeping curiosity alive without sacrificing the quality of the writing or the depth of the themes addressed. The novel unfolds as a complex network of encounters, coincidences, challenges, and discoveries, in which the protagonist is called upon to face unpredictable situations that continually test his ability to interpret reality. The central element of the work is not so much the search for a definitive truth as the awareness that human destiny is often determined by elusive factors, unexpected opportunities, and decisions made under conditions of uncertainty. In this sense, the title itself takes on symbolic value, suggesting the image of existence as a game in which skill, intuition, and luck are inseparably intertwined. Ongaro’s writing combines narrative elegance with communicative immediacy, alternating moments of suspense with pages rich in observations on human behaviour and on the motivations that guide individual actions. The author also succeeds in creating evocative and dynamic settings, capable of continually broadening the horizon of the story and conveying to the reader the pleasure of discovery and exploration. Through a solid and perfectly controlled narrative structure, “La partita” offers an original reflection on risk, chance, and the subtle balance between personal freedom and external circumstances. With this recognition, the Campiello Prize honoured a work that demonstrates how the adventure novel can also become an instrument of inquiry into the human condition.

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