The prestigious award was presented to him by Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. Present at the ceremony was the ambassador of Italy, Mauro Marsili
Gratias Agit Award to Italian Bohemist Alessandro Catalano
Prague, Oct. 19, 2023
At a solemn ceremony held today in Prague, the Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský, awarded Italian Bohemist Alessandro Catalano with the prestigious Gratias Agit prize.
By presenting this award, the Czech Republic recognizes and celebrates Catalano’s role as a cultural bridge between the two countries and his contribution to mutual understanding of their respective rich literary and cultural traditions. Today’s ceremony was attended by the ambassador of Italy, Mauro Marsili, underscoring the importance of cultural collaboration between the two countries.
Established in 1997 by the Czech government, the Gratias Agit prize is awarded annually to a select circle of personalities and organizations from around the world who have distinguished themselves in promoting the international image of the Czech Republic as well as friendship and cooperation with other nations. Past honorees have included such prominent figures as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, footwear industrialist Tomas Bata, and Oscar-winning director Milos Forman.
Alessandro Catalano, born in Rome in 1970, is an emblematic figure in the field of Slavic studies in Italy. An associate professor of Czech literature at the Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies at the University of Padua, he has a remarkable academic career behind him, with a course of studies that began at “La Sapienza” University in Rome. His research works, we recall the one related to the Counter-Reformation in Bohemia, are recognized for their depth and rigor. Besides the academic aspect, Catalano has contributed to the dissemination of Czech literature in Italy through numerous translations, including works by authors such as Bohumil Hrabal and M. Viewegh.