This writer’s hometown might drown — now he wants you to envision it
What if one day your hometown is gone, because of climate change?
Italian writer Emanuele Missinato turned that thought into a short story.
Now he has decided to share his story — self-published in four languages — with the readers and followers of We Don’t Have Time.
Read Venice Is Gone for free:
In English
In Italian
In Spanish
In German
Emanuele Missinato is originally from Venice, but he left the lagoon years ago to travel all around Europe.
”I was based in Vienna first, and Berlin then. Currently I am living in Bratislava, Slovakia”, he says.
What made you write ”Venice is gone?”
”I have always been curious about geographic maps and one day, after reading the National Geographic, I saw a map of a completely different Europe, where cities like Venice, Berlin, London and Barcelona do not exist anymore.
That was the spark that gave me the idea for Venice Is Gone. Something personal but also real, something that can make people think. I also thought that a short story could reach more people in a world where everything is so fast. In the middle of the story, there is a part where the politicians are definitely wrong, and we should all feel a good healthy indignation to get us ready to fight and take action.”
We are starting to see more and more works of fiction portraying a not so happy future where climate change and the ongoing mass extinction of species has altered our way of life. What impact do you think literature can have on how we deal with this crisis?
”In a world of distractions, there is a lack of motivation. To make people think is the most important thing, and the more stories, books, songs and movies about the climate issue there are, the better is.”
MARKUS LUTTEMAN
Facts about We Don’t Have Time.
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