Vincenzo Latronico on chronicling the Instagram generation

The Booker-shortlisted Italian author speaks to Al Majalla about re-imagining a classic, the art of translation, and how digital life is changing the way we see ourselves

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Italian writer and translator Vincenzo Latronico, during the Chora Volume 1 festival at the Milan Conservatory. Milan (Italy), on February 17, 2024.

Vincenzo Latronico on chronicling the Instagram generation

Nesrein El-Bakhshawangy

last update on 20 May 2025

Making the shortlist for the International Booker Prize with his novel Perfection has boosted the profile of Italian novelist Vincenzo Latronico, 40, who is known as an eagle-eyed observer of the millennial generation. The book follows an expat couple living in Berlin. Working as graphic designers, their lives lack the fulfilment they portray on social media.

Latronico’s fourth novel was written during the COVID-era lockdowns and is a re-imagining of Georges Perec’s classic book Things: A Story of the Sixties. It is his first to be translated into English. Translator Sophie Hughes has been showered with praise by Latronico, who also works as a translator.

The author spoke to Al Majalla about inspiring empathy in readers towards his characters, working during the pandemic, and the prospect of winning a top literary prize. This is the conversation.

Perfection explores the pursuit of flawlessness in various aspects of life. What inspired you to tackle this theme, and how do you see it resonating with contemporary readers?

It was when I started going on Instagram during lockdown that I realised my apartment in Berlin looked like every other apartment I had seen, whether in Germany, the US, Italy, or Argentina, and I wondered how that could be possible.

But in general, I’d tried and failed for years to write something about how digital life is changing the way we see ourselves, our moral horizon, our inner life. The pursuit of flawlessness is how this impacts one bubble of people, of which I am part. For others, it can be the pursuit of hyper-masculinity or radical politics.

What drew you to reimagine Perec’s Things as a novel for our era? Was it a challenge?

On the contrary, it made it much easier. I’d been struggling to write a book I was happy with for a long time, and was a bit discouraged. Also, partly due to the lockdowns and German Winter depression, I didn’t think I had the strength to invent much. Then I remembered that, upon first reading Perec, I had scribbled notes in the margins on how easy it would be to update this to a contemporary setting.

I decided to take it up as a writing exercise for the empty days of COVID. In retrospect, I think I sensed his book was very much about our times. It tells the story of the transition to mass-media consumerism. It is the same world we live in now, even though instead of desiring objects, we desire images of ourselves.

The novel maintains an observational tone, which Perec called “passionate coldness”. How did you balance emotional restraint with the need to convey the inner lives of the main characters, Anna and Tom?

I didn’t. I think we’re used to a kind of novel that is very much about empathy, and uses warmth and proximity to make readers care for the characters, but this is not the only way to tell a story. We feel very little empathy for Odysseus in the Odyssey, but we care about him nonetheless. Perec did something similar. It actually helped me a lot to realise there are many more forms than the ones we automatically gravitate towards, those encouraged by the market.

The digitalisation of our existence has broken a lot of traditional community bonds. We are surrounded by voices and images, yet we belong to fewer strong groups

Italian novelist Vincenzo Latronico

The novel captures a sense of striving without a clear purpose. How do you think this reflects contemporary societal pressures, especially among the privileged?

On the one hand, it's true—the aimless striving, mild dissatisfaction, and ennui (boredom) I represent have a lot to do with the privilege of my characters—a privilege they desperately try to avoid acknowledging. On the other hand, I think there is something deeper here.

In many ways, the digitalisation of our existence has broken a lot of traditional community bonds. We are surrounded by voices and images, yet we belong to fewer strong groups—political parties, unions, churches etc—and this makes life feel a little pointless and emptier. Of course, the privileged have more time to worry about it!

Your writing often engages with philosophical and societal questions. How do you balance intellectual depth with narrative accessibility in your work?

If only I knew! This is partly what prevented me from being happy about my writing for many years. It always felt like a compromise. The only solution is not to ask yourself this question. It's like walking a tightrope: if you look down, you fall.

Sophie Hughes' translation has been praised for capturing the novel's tone. How involved were you in the translation process, as a writer and translator, and did it reveal new facets of your own work?

It has been a blessing to work with Sophie. Several people who read both versions told me her English text is better than my Italian, and I agree. Maybe it's because the book takes place in English. It's like she found its original tone. To be frank, as a translator, I felt a little bit awed and humiliated. I'll never be as good as her, but I can try to learn.

Vincenzo Latronico has published four novels with Bompiani, including Le Perfezioni (2022), which won the Mondello prize, Mantua, on September 8 2023.

When translating, how do you balance faithfulness to the original while ensuring the language works in translation?

The translator's job is to make these two things one and the same. A text that works in translation is ultimately the most faithful one could be because the original usually works, too. I intervene a bit in terms of tone and rhythm if I feel the Italian needs it. Because I mostly translate classics, I also need to bridge a gap in time.

You've lived and worked in Milan and Berlin, two cities that feature prominently in your fiction. How do urban environments influence your writing? Do you consider cities as active characters in your stories, or more as emotional backdrops?

In many ways, they are characters, yes. Especially in Perfection, Berlin is actually much more well-defined than Anna and Tom. But I think this is just a coincidence. The next thing I'm writing takes place in a village.

Perfection being shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2025 is a remarkable achievement for Italian literature. What does this mean to you, and how might it influence the reception of Italian authors worldwide?

Well, of course, I'm incredulous and happy and humbled. This happiness and pride come from being part of a wave, as you say. When I grew up, there was very little interest in contemporary Italian literature. This changed with Elena Ferrante. Suddenly, readers worldwide realised Italian literature existed.

This led to a writer of my generation—in Italy, 40 counts as young—like Claudia Durastanti having enormous international recognition, which led to another writer of our generation—Veronica Raimo—being longlisted for the Booker last year. These two women, and a few more writers, are also my writing companions, my first readers, my sisters, my friends. It feels like a blessing to be part of this.

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