On Trial

A razor-sharp narrative-pamphlet on the defining conflict of our time: the generational divide. This volume brings together literature, testimony, and moral inquiry in one urgent, unforgettable book. By what privilege does youth claim the right to judge the world— and with what authority?

In a gripping, high-concept narrative, an aging writer is dragged before a clandestine tribunal made up entirely of young people under thirty. He stands accused—along with his entire generation—of obstructing renewal, of unlawfully occupying the present.

On trial is not just a man, but the very idea of a generation, authority, and continuity.

Handcuffed and interrogated, he faces the ultimate sentence. Yet instead of defending himself, he counters. Calm, lucid, and unexpectedly provocative, he turns the interrogation into a fierce intellectual duel—between those who have lived long, and those who fear there may not be enough life left for them to claim.

The novel is followed by a new edition of The Contrary Word, including the full courtroom statement delivered by Erri De Luca during his 2015 trial, when he was prosecuted for his stance on the Val di Susa high-speed rail protests.

A landmark text in contemporary Italian cultural history, it remains strikingly relevant today—a powerful reflection on what it means to defend freedom of speech under accusation. Two trials—one fictional, one real—mirror each other across these pages. Together with additional writings, they form a chorus of voices: stories of silence, war, fear—but also of resilience and hope. They speak from a time before a world that has lost its faith, its patience, its passion.

A world that no longer belongs to the young or the old— but to the ruthless. Provocative, political, and deeply human, this is a book that demands to be read—and argued with.