Gabriella Valera

Dear friends

With deep sadness I inform you that Gabriella, my wife and vital soul of all of us has passed away, following the disease that had gripped her for 12 years: from 1 February there is an extra angel in heaven.

In giving you this sad news, I turn to the members and sympathizers of our Poetry and Solidarity Association, to the thousands of young people of the Castello di Duino Poetry and Theater Competition, who have enthusiastically participated in it for 17 years, to the participants of all ages in the “Invitation to Poetry” Competition where we celebrated the anniversary of our wedding, to young intellectuals who annually took part with great interest in the study days of the World Youth Academy “Right to Dialogue”, to the members and participants of the “ISDC International Center for Studies and Documentation for Youth Culture”, to the Committee and members of the International Society for Cultural History ISCH, to the members and sympathizers of the House of Literature, who in the past have contributed to broadening the horizon of Culture, to all those who, meeting Gabriella, have understood the value of her being and her word.

Finally, I turn to the thousands of students who in the course of her academic life have had the good fortune of having her as a teacher and friend.

I also address you directly, young lovers of poetry and theater, who participate in the 17th edition of our Competition to announce that the Award Ceremony will take place without audience and without poets and will be filmed and posted on the Poetry and Solidarity website www.castellodiduinopoesia.org, with the possibility for each of you to see it online.

Wishing you the fulfillment of your dreams, I warmly greet you

Ottavio Gruber
Vice president of “Poetry and Solidarity”
Trieste, March 31, 2021