AGP Executive Report

Writers Under Threat: Salman Rushdie’s attacker, Hadi Matar, has been convicted in federal court for the 2022 on-stage stabbing tied to “The Satanic Verses,” with prosecutors arguing transnational terrorism motives and the defense saying they proved nothing about Matar’s state of mind; Rushdie lost sight in his right eye. Italian Publishing Spotlight: Independent author Gastone Berardi says his “Bullet Thriller” model is scaling fast via a 7-book catalog translated into 7 languages, aiming to build a 49-book global ecosystem. Book Culture & Prizes: The Booker Prize 2026 longlist is out, with a reader’s guide circulating to the 13 novels (including past winners) and a separate listicle highlighting the best short novels under 150 pages. Publishing Industry Watch: 505 Games confirms a sequel to “Wuchang: Fallen Feathers,” a rare studio-rescue story after earlier turmoil around the original project.

Book & Publishing: The Booker Prize 2026 longlist is out with 13 novels, including Elizabeth Strout, Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, plus debut names like Rebecca Perry and Kenan Orhan; the shortlist lands Sept 22 and the winner Nov 9. Publishing & Culture: Fulvio Irace’s Nature & Architecture is published in English by Electa/Rizzoli, bringing the Italian critic’s Ambasz-focused vision to a wider readership. Games & IP: Digital Bros and 505 Games will develop and publish the Ming sequel, officially titled Wuchang, with Indolphinity leading development; the first game has reportedly reached 5 million players. Italy in Business/Trade: China’s reciprocal export controls hit 14 EU defense and tech firms, including Italian motor maker Lafert. Science & Health: A “spermageddon” debate resurfaces as researchers report a sharp long-term drop in average male testosterone, while other scientists dispute the trend. Climate & Transport: A new EU study warns extreme weather is already damaging Europe’s transport network and could worsen fast without faster CO₂ cuts. Reading Picks: A summer reading list and a roundup of “unputdownable” reads keep the homepage bookish.

Book & Publishing: Moldova’s parliament has denounced a decades-old agreement on cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States covering publishing, book distribution and printing—citing outdated mechanisms and high logistical costs, and pointing to newer national support for translations and publishing. Literary Awards: The 2026 Booker Prize longlist is out, with 13 novels across styles and settings, and judges calling it “dynamite” as the race heads toward the shortlist. Italian Culture in English: Electa/Rizzoli publishes the English edition of Fulvio Irace’s Nature & Architecture: Ambasz’s Vision, bringing a major scholarly study of Emilio Ambasz to international readers. Publishing Industry Watch: A column argues that fewer book reviews and shrinking review space are hurting niche areas like comics and animation, even as readers still want recommendations. Books for Summer Reading: Ann Patchett’s bookstore Parnassus Books shares staff picks for unputdownable summer reads. Media & Cinema: Canal+ signs a €980m, five-year deal to back French and European cinema, securing a streaming window through 2032.

Police Violence Fears: A Moroccan man’s death in Bologna after restraint by officers has reignited anxiety among Italy’s North African communities, with prosecutors opening a manslaughter probe after widely shared footage. Public Safety Scrutiny: A second death during a police search—of a man born in Italy to Tunisian parents—adds to concerns about how force and crisis response are handled. Publishing & Books: A new “Yesteryear” debut novel is driving major buzz, while a separate piece spotlights how Esperanto is finding new life through online teaching. Brand Differentiation: An Italian branding analysis argues that when products become easy to copy, companies must compete on meaning, not just price. Energy & Industry: Eni has approved Cyprus’s Cronos deepwater gas project, targeting production in 2028 and linking Mediterranean supply chains. Arts & Culture: A Getty exhibition will take visitors through the full medieval manuscript-making process, from parchment to binding.

Opera & Adaptation: Bellissima Opera & Song is staging Christine Steyer’s adaptation of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” reframing the story around censorship and aristocratic privilege (performances July 30-31). Publishing & Culture: A new anthology, “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift,” gathers Pope Leo XIV’s peace teachings, published in Italian by Vatican Publishing House with an English edition expected soon. Books & Ideas: Umberto Eco’s “Inventing the Enemy” returns via a reflection on his Bologna lecture—starting from a taxi encounter and turning into a critique of how societies manufacture enemies. Literary History: A medieval Latin account of King Arthur’s “Sword in the Stone” is presented in translation, tracing how the episode entered later Arthurian tradition. Fiction & Film: “The Kidnapping of Arabella” brings Chris Pine into an Italian-language story built around a cynical writer and his sharp-tongued daughter. Italy-Adjacent Tech/Design: Italian designer Riccardo Cambó has redesigned Italy’s driving license and ID for wallet-and-phone use, pushing a practical UX rethink. Global Publishing/Charity: Forbes 30 Under 30 founder Alexander Debelov is distributing a bestselling devotional free in Malawi, delivering printed copies in person via a local ministry partnership.

Italianate Garden Safety: The Massachusetts Horticultural Society says a roughly 200-year-old sugar maple in the Garden at Elm Bank in Wellesley must be removed after arborists found the brittle cinder fungus (Kretzschmaria deusta) and flagged high risk of failure. Literary & Publishing Events: A major Hemingway scholarship conference is underway in Toronto, focusing on the author’s early Toronto Star journalism (1920–1924), with 200+ experts attending. Fashion & Culture: Paris is hosting a major Gianni Versace retrospective at Musée Maillol, running until 31 October 2026. Tech & Language Preservation: A piece on Georgia’s push to keep its language alive online highlights how web standards work can support minority scripts and digital representation. Books & Reading Tools: A roundup spotlights KOReader’s reading statistics and plugins for Kindle users who want deeper control over how they read. Italy-Linked Publishing Note: Corriere di Bologna reports Manchester United are watching Bologna winger Jonathan Rowe, a reminder of how Italian sports coverage keeps crossing into international headlines.

Berlin Pride Attack: The suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride van attack, Abdul Ballout, was shot and killed by police after a nearly 24-hour search in Spandau; prosecutors said he had sought to join ISIS and authorities described the assault as Islamist terrorism. Publishing & Books: Swish Appeal’s former editor-in-chief Tamryn Spruill is set to publish The W: A History of the WNBA on Sept. 22, 2026, with a new interview on the book’s long road to release. Italian Culture & Travel: A Valentino Capri villa interior feature spotlights how the designer turned a small alcove into a “fantasy jewelbox,” a reminder of Italy’s enduring design influence. Food & Recipes: A recipe column shares a Veneto-style cake using grappa, polenta and fennel—sweet, dense, and built for winter comfort. Sports (Italy link): Corriere di Bologna reports Manchester United are watching Bologna winger Jonathan Rowe ahead of the summer transfer window.

Publishing & Books: A new photobook imprint, Irys Publishing, launches Alan Schaller’s “Street Safari,” a direct-to-reader model aimed at fairer economics for photographers, spotlighting animals in urban life. Book Culture & Debate: Archaeologist Mario Trabucco della Torretta says his invitation to speak at Athens’ Acropolis Museum was cancelled over his opposition to returning the Elgin Marbles, calling the restitution debate intolerant of dissent. Travel Reading Mood: A review of “Getting to Reparations” keeps the focus on restorative justice and the politics of reckoning, while a separate “banned films” roundup reminds readers how censorship follows culture across borders. Italian Angle: The week’s Italy-relevant cultural thread also includes a Valentino Capri villa interior feature—design as a kind of storytelling—plus a “How to Eat Your Way Around Ischia” travel-food pick for summer readers.

Maritime Law & Publishing-Adjacent Culture: A maritime attorney explains how Costa Concordia’s passenger ticket terms pushed lawsuits toward Genoa, Italy—an example of how legal fine print can shape outcomes after major disasters. Tech & Digital Rights: Investigations revisit Phineas Fisher, the elusive hacktivist whose breaches targeted spyware firms including Italian startup Hacking Team, helping reshape the spyware business. Food & Italian Identity: A lasagna history column traces the dish from Greece’s “laganon” to baked Neapolitan versions, while a separate recipe spotlights a Veneto-style winter cake using grappa, polenta, fennel, and sultanas. Media Policy: The EBU’s Vincent Sneed weighs in on the EU Digital Networks Act and why broadcasters want reliable radio access in vehicles. Books & Social Reckoning: A review of “Getting to Reparations” frames restorative justice and voting rights history through a U.S. Supreme Court backdrop.

Euro Banknotes Vote: The ECB has unveiled a shortlist for the first euro redesign since 2002, with Europeans choosing between “rivers and birds” or “European culture” motifs (including figures like Beethoven and Marie Curie) in a public vote running until mid-September. Publishing & Books: A new English volume of Svetlana Alexievich’s oral-history classic “The Unwomanly Face of War” is highlighted as her Nobel-winning project returns to wider readers. Italian Food Culture: Indianapolis’ new Italian openings—Balena Cucina Italiana and Monti Aperitivo e Cucina—lean on family legacies and fresh, local ingredients, showing how “Made in Italy” hospitality keeps evolving abroad. Literary Events: A major Hemingway conference at Toronto Metropolitan University spotlights his lesser-studied Toronto Star journalism (1920–1924), underscoring how literary careers are shaped by publishing venues. Book Retail Spotlight: A Croatia travel piece spotlights independent bookstores, including Dubrovnik’s and Split’s historic Narodni Trg shop founded in 1860. Fiction Buzz: L.J. Sellers’ suspense novel “AfterStrike” is profiled, centering on amnesia, a hidden past tied to an Italian mob nickname, and a last-minute disappearance before testimony.

Publishing & Rights: A Paris court threw out a bid by Kering and Bottega Veneta to force Meta to remove an Instagram/Facebook video challenging luxury brands’ “Made in Italy” claims, keeping the debate alive in the courts and online. New Books: Knopf Books for Young Readers will publish a never-before-seen Leo Lionni manuscript, “How to Make Paper Mice,” in fall 2027. Literary Culture: A major international Hemingway conference in Toronto spotlights the author’s lesser-studied Toronto Star journalism (1920–1924), underscoring how literary careers get reshaped by archives. Italy in the Spotlight: Pompeii archaeologists unveiled a partially reconstructed frescoed banquet-hall ceiling vault, using a support structure to rebuild the original shape—another reminder of how publishing and storytelling meet heritage. Science & Reading Interests: A Nature study reports the first credible “exomoon” candidate orbiting a brown dwarf, with INAF researchers involved.

Cultural Heritage Under Pressure: Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia has sent a cease-and-desist to an Italian takeaway using Michelangelo’s David image to sell ice cream, arguing the cultural heritage code limits free use to study/research/cultural promotion even as EU image rights lapse 70 years after an artist’s death. Publishing & Film in Italy: Venice Film Festival announced that the live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga “Look Back” will screen in competition, with GKIDS handling releases in multiple territories. Open Data for Business: A guide explains how EU “open data” rules (Open Data Directive and High-Value Datasets) push member states to publish machine-readable datasets via APIs—turning free public information into competitive products. Literature Spotlight: A review asks whether Helen DeWitt is the “literary messiah” for an age of asymmetrical information, mixing correspondence and nested fiction to probe the novel’s role. Humanities & History: A new book on German counterinsurgency doctrine in the Balkans traces how wartime irregular warfare blurred into atrocity, drawing on primary sources and testimony.

Venice Film Festival: The 83rd edition opens 2 September with Danny Boyle’s “Ink” (about Rupert Murdoch’s Sun takeover) and includes documentaries on Elon Musk, plus Italy-forward selections like Alina Marazzi’s “La ragazza con la Leica” and Anna Foglietta’s debut “Una storia.” Publishing & ideas: A new Italian-published volume in the “Femminismi” series, “A Life in Translation,” spotlights Rada Iveković’s transnational feminism, while Pope Leo XIV’s foreword for “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift” quotes Bob Dylan and pushes nuclear disarmament. Industry & print: Print4All’s Varese conference put the spotlight on how AI is reshaping printing workflows, with the theme “Humans Print the World.” Books & culture (Italy-linked): “Shadal” Deuteronomy lands at a Teaneck launch, completing Samuel David Luzzatto’s Torah commentary in Daniel Klein’s long-running Italian translation project.

Publishing & Books: A new essay on public historians argues anniversaries can spark predictable book floods, but also create rare chances to ask fresh questions about familiar stories. Author Spotlight: Chef-author Joseph Ogilvy’s debut “Tin Can Coast” traces how California’s fishing industry shaped the state’s rise to global commerce. Wine & Reading Culture: The Global Pinot Gris Masters 2026 highlights how Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris can deliver real character, including strong results from cheaper bottles. Travel & Summer Lists: A roundup of “beach reads” spotlights New Jersey-set novels for holiday reading. Italy in the News: The Vatican Publishing House releases an Italian edition of “Félix Varela: A Biography,” linking the priest’s writings to Cuban national culture and independence. Tech/Industry (Italy-linked): Sòphia High Tech unveils ROMAN, a robotic arm built to inspect and maintain parts inside a nuclear fusion reactor.

Publishing & Law: Italy’s Corriere della Sera was ordered to pay €27,500 after a Milan court ruled it defamed sociology professor Alessandro Orsini by calling him part of a “Putin’s Network in Italy” that the court said never existed. Books & Ideas: Pope Leo XIV’s new book foreword urges nuclear disarmament and quotes an unpublished Bob Dylan song about the atomic bomb, framing peace as “disarmament” rather than weapons. Literary Spotlight: Valeria Luiselli’s “Beginning Middle End” returns to her Italy-set story world, continuing themes from “Lost Children Archive” with refugees and xenophobia in the background. Culture & Community: A St. Michaels weekend exhibition, “Canvases of the Cosmos,” brings artist Roland Comtois to Simpatico Trattoria with an art-and-light experience. Science & Reading Culture: A new study using JWST data finds surprisingly early dust-making in the metal-poor dwarf galaxy Sextans A, pushing models of when the universe’s “dust factories” began.

Pope Leo XIV in Books & Peace: The Vatican Publishing House has released in Italian Pope Leo XIV’s new collection, Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift, urging nuclear disarmament and warning against a “third world war fought piecemeal.” Publishing & Culture: TIFF has unveiled its Gala and Special Presentations lineup for 10–20 September, with 64 titles so far and 35 world premieres, plus a new TIFF: The Market for international sales. Italian Tech Regulation: Lombardy’s new regional law on data centres (in force since 20 June) pushes siting in brownfields, carbon-neutral energy, heat recovery and efficient cooling—aiming to reduce regulatory fragmentation. Workplace Rights: Italy has transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive via Legislative Decree 96/2026, requiring objective, gender-neutral pay criteria and salary-range disclosure, with reporting phasing in from 2027. Science & Research: A study led by Italy’s University of Milan-Bicocca suggests a black hole may be “cooking” a distant gas cloud, affecting star formation in the early universe.