Michele Mari’s ‘The Stone Guests’

Author Michele Mari won both the main category and the young writers’ category at the 80th Strega Prize for his novel, The Stone Guests. This victory follows a recent trend where winners of the young writers' category go on to win the main prize.

The 150-page novel follows 32 high school classmates who make a pact during their graduation dinner on July 22, 1975. The group agrees to contribute money annually to a shared investment pool, with the final sum to be divided among the last three survivors. While intended as a way to maintain friendships, the pact leads to bitterness, accidents, threats, and murder over a 75-year period. The story tracks the group through annual reunion dinners held every July 22, moving from their graduation to their lives as sixty-year-olds.

Mari is an established writer with more than 20 published works, including novels, poetry, essays, and translations. His recognition at the Strega Prize honors his career in writing and teaching Italian literature.