On September 23, the Center for Italian Studies hosted a special archival session in collaboration with Special Collections centered on Pietro di Donato and his renowned novel Christ in Concrete. This event built on a similar gathering in Fall 2024, bringing together students for a hands‑on exploration of the Pietro di Donato Collection. The session gave students firsthand access to one of Stony Brook’s 20th century literary collections.
This semester, students in EGL 358, taught by Professors Loredana Polezzi and Simone Brioni, had the opportunity to engage directly with the literary archive of Pietro di Donato. In 1939, di Donato’s Christ in Concrete was chosen as the main selection for the famed Book-of-the-Month Club, beating out John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath for the honor.
The Pietro di Donato Collection offers an expansive look into the life and work of the Italian-American writer. Students examined original manuscripts, handwritten notes, unpublished drafts, personal correspondence, photographs, and even tools di Donato used during his years as a bricklayer. These materials gave students a tangible connection to Christ in Concrete – a novel rooted in the experience of immigrant labor and working-class resilience. This session is part of an ongoing effort of Special Collections to bridge classroom learning with archival research.
Kristen Nyitray
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