Dora Nera, the noir festival that transforms Turin into a literary destination

From November 7 to 9, Turin becomes the city of noir with the fifth edition of Dora Nera, a festival that explores the contradictions of the contemporary world through the aesthetics and philosophy of noir. Promoted by the Babelica association, the event transforms the auditorium of the Oratorio San Filippo Neri into a melting pot of voices, images, and sounds, offering the audience an immersive experience among literature, music, and visual art.

This year the festival welcomes internationally renowned guests. Mariana Enriquez, Argentine author and winner of the Herralde Prize for "Our Share of Night," brings to the heart of the festival a Latin American narrative suspended between the supernatural and social tension. Alongside her, Massimo Carlotto, a pillar of Italian noir, offers uncompromising investigations into crime and corruption.

Among the protagonists stands out Grazia Verasani, a versatile writer and musician, awarded the Career Prize for an artistic path that explores the complexity of the feminine and the precariousness of existence. Luca O’ Zulù Persico, voice of 99Posse, brings a critical view on suburbs and inequalities, while Marco Nereo Rotelli creates a site-specific installation, dialoguing with the space and themes of the festival.

“Noir is not just a genre, but an approach to the world that invites us to look without illusions at the shadowy areas of reality” - emphasizes the artistic director of the event, Tatjana Giorcelli -. Telling about evil and human fragility is not voyeurism, but an act of responsibility: understanding the roots of evil in order not to be complicit.”

The program offers a multi-voiced journey, from Stefania Nardini’s lectio magistralis on Jean-Claude Izzo, to the round table on resistance with Carlotto, Daniel Cuello, and Giuseppe Palumbo, up to the meeting with Mariana Enriquez, the festival’s first international guest.

But Dora Nera is not only a cultural event: it also becomes an opportunity for literary tourism. Turin, with its historic glimpses and suggestive atmospheres, offers the perfect stage to explore the dark side of the city and the stories that inhabit it. Participating in the festival means immersing oneself not only in noir narrative but also in the streets, cafés, and places that inspire the authors, transforming the cultural experience into a comprehensive journey.

With the awarding of the Career Prize to Grazia Verasani, Dora Nera celebrates figures who have been able to renew Italian noir, giving depth to the protagonists and digging into the darkest areas of the human soul. The festival thus invites the audience to confront the challenges of our time through the clear, intense, and often cruel lens of noir, and to discover Turin as a destination for cultural tourism that combines literature, art, and social reflection.