Giosuè Calaciura’s latest novel, Io sono Gesù (Sellerio, 2021), will be published in August by Notabilia. Translated by Lise Chapuis, the novel was already a winner of the Premio Stresa and the Premio Racalmare-Sciascia when it was published in Italy. It is to be published in Germany (Converso) and Spain (Editorial Periférica).
With this book, the Sicilian writer revisits one of the most famous stories in human history.
Jesus lives in Nazareth with his mother, who had him at a very young age, and his father, Joseph, a taciturn carpenter. When Joseph abandons his family without a trace, Jesus decides to go after him. This young runaway embarks with a troupe of acrobats for a journey full of surprises.
This former child prankster, sometimes blasphemer, will discover carnal love, betrayal, gentleness and violence. He wants to live life to the fullest; like every teenager, he is impatient to act. But in this world of ruthless laws, under the aegis of a ferocious Roman domination, subject to the arrogance of the rich, to famine, in this era shaken by profound changes, no one better than a young boy tormented by desire can feel the subterranean beat of a coming revolution.
Carried by the epic breath of youth, adventure, and the quest for a family mystery, Calaciura holds us at its mercy, plays with the portent of an extraordinary destiny.