Author Portraits: Final session of the series this Friday with philosopher Silvano Petrosino

He will be the philosopher Silvano Petrosino to close, Friday 22 March, the exhibition ”Ritratti d’Autore – Classics that Help Us Live". On the stage of the Astra Theatre, at 9:00 PM, they will present the masterpiece of world literature".” Memoirs of Hadrian” by Marguerite Yourcenar, a book of extraordinary depth speaks of life and death, of conflict and love, of freedom and human rights.

Through the words of Emperor Hadrian, Marguerite Yourcenar puts to paper the fear of losing vitality, eros, and youth, and of facing the inevitable approach of the end. One element that makes this long epistle so engaging is its ability to expose Hadrian as a man and as an emperor, in his ambitions as well as his fragilities. Hadrian's Memoirs represents an example for those who wish to engage in reflections on their own lives and on the role of memory. A classic to rediscover as it punctually reflects on crucial issues for human beings of any era.

Silvano Petrosino, one of the most esteemed Italian philosophers, is a full professor of Religious Anthropology and Media, and Theories of Communication at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He has engaged with the phenomenological and existentialist traditions of contemporary philosophy, dedicating significant studies and translations to the works of Emmanuel Lévinas and Jacques Derrida. His research has explored the nature of the sign and language, the relationship between rationality and morality, and the analysis of the structure of experience, with particular attention to the relationship between word and image, between desire and the human, also analysing the ethical dimension of communication and media. Among his recent works: Emmanuel Lévinas. Le due sapienze (Milan 2017); Il desiderio. Non siamo figli delle stelle (Milan 2019); Il miraggio dei social. Euforia digitale e comunicazione responsabile (Novara 2019); Lo scandalo dell’imprevedibile. Pensare l’epidemia (Novara 2020); Dove abita l’infinito. Trascendenza, potere e giustizia (Milan 2020); Piccola metafisica della luce. Una teoria dello sguardo (Milan 2021); Logiche follie. Sacrifici umani e illusioni della giustizia (with Gabrio Forti, Milan 2022); Le fiabe non raccontano favole. Una difesa dell’esperienza (Milan 2023); his first foray into fiction with: I coniugi Limpido (Novara 2023).