An international conference titled "The Sicilian Mirror: Projections of History and Identity" will be presented April 2 and 3 at Princeton University.
Inspired by the film of award winning director Roberto Ando, "The Manuscript of the Prince" (2000), the conference will explore the universal aspects of the Sicilian experience and the artistry with which it has been made meaningful to an international public.
Produced by Giuseppe Tornatore and starring Jeanne Moreau and Michel Bouquet, the film shows us the encounter of Prince Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa with the very young Marco and Guido, as he writes his novel "The Leopard," which was made into a classic film by Luchino Visconti in 1963.
A special screening of "The Manuscript of the Prince" will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, April 2, in Stewart Theatre, 185 Nassau St., Princeton, with an introduction by director Roberto Ando. Admission is free.
Saturated with all civilizations of the Mediterranean, Sicily is a crossroads of cultures ancient Greek and Roman, Phoenician, Arab, Norman, Spanish and Italian. Deep and enduring class distinctions add yet another layer to the complexity of the Sicilian experience.
The conference director is Gaetana Marrone-Puglia, department of French and Italian, Princeton University.
