Ben Faccini
LightNews LightNews
benfaccini.bsky.social
Ben Faccini
@benfaccini.bsky.social
54 followers 190 following 7 posts
Writing, translating, teaching, editing, reading.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Ben Faccini
marinabenjamin.bsky.social
The Italian diaspora longs for Italy, but sometimes Italy turns its back. Ben Faccini explores loyalty and longing in a moving essay for @aeon.co
aeon.co/essays/itali...
Italianness is a state of travelling in both directions | Aeon Essays
Homecomings, fantasies, food and ghosts – how the myth of eternal return keeps the Italian diaspora in a state of longing
aeon.co
September 15, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
aeon.co
In this deeply personal Essay, author Ben Faccini explores the intense pride that many descendants of Italian migrants feel towards their heritage – and the ways traditions, values and ideas of ‘Italian-ness’ have endured long after families have left the country itself buff.ly/66PnMdp
Italianness is a state of travelling in both directions | Aeon Essays
Homecomings, fantasies, food and ghosts – how the myth of eternal return keeps the Italian diaspora in a state of longing
aeon.co
September 15, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
alifeinbooks.bsky.social
My pleasure! Looking forward to reading your book
April 10, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
maireadhearne.bsky.social
Books to Look Out For in May 2026: Part One alifeinbooks.co.uk/2026/04/book...
via @alifeinbooks.bsky.social
Books to Look Out For in May 2026: Part One - A Life in Books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.
alifeinbooks.co.uk
April 8, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
rabihalameddine.bsky.social
Title page of the Acts of the Apostles, in Arabic,
Damascus, 1342
January 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
aeon.co
Can AI be creative? Machine learning mechanisms are based on predictability and following instructions – anathema to making truly great art, which at its core is ‘an affirmation of human existence’, as Richard Beard argues in this passionate Essay
Sure, AI can ‘do’ writing. But memoir? Not so much | Aeon Essays
As AI’s endless clichés continue to encroach on human art, the true uniqueness of our creativity is becoming ever clearer
buff.ly
January 23, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
marinabenjamin.bsky.social
Today Aeon Magazine publishes the last of 3 essays by Afghan women writers (smuggled out of the country in secret) that we've worked on for the past year in partnership with Untold Narratives. It ends the series on a note of hope.
aeon.co/essays/i-am-...
I am witness to the strength of working women in Afghanistan | Aeon Essays
I am banned from working now, but as I look back on my long, challenging career in Afghanistan I feel hope for the future
aeon.co
December 16, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
frenchinstituteuk.bsky.social
Join novelist Mattia Filice in conversation with translator Ben Faccini to discuss his debut, Driver, a radical portrait of labour and life on the rails, mixing prose and free verse.

🗓️20 Nov at the French Institute + Book signing
🎟️ www.institut-francais.org.uk/events-agend...
November 6, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
frenchinstituteuk.bsky.social
“A remarkable free-verse novel about the rhythms of work.” - @chrispower.bsky.social on Driver(@nyrb-imprints.bsky.social)

Join author Mattia Filice with
@benfaccini.bsky.social on 20 Nov @frenchinstituteuk.bsky.social
🎟️ www.institut-francais.org.uk/events-agend...

observer.co.uk/culture/book...
Paperback of the week: Driver by Mattia Filice
A French train driver’s 20-year career across the tracks is distilled into a remarkable free-verse novel about the rhythms of work
observer.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 12:19 PM
benfaccini.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Air miles be damned. I say the best way to find out about the joy and complexity of our world is through novels | Pushpinder Khaneka
As I read 200 books from different regions, I gained a clarity news reports seldom give, says journalist and author Pushpinder Khaneka
www.theguardian.com
September 15, 2025 at 1:06 PM
benfaccini.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Time for a reality check: Britain cannot be a big player on the world stage unless we speak more languages | Sophia Smith Galer
For all the talk of addressing the problem, things have got worse. Which is criminal when there is so much we could do, says journalist Sophia Smith Galer
www.theguardian.com
August 23, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
frenchinstituteuk.bsky.social
📖 #BeyondWordsFest presents Anne Berest: Gabriële

Discover the radical life of Gabriële Buffet — muse to Duchamp & Picabia — in a talk with author Anne Berest (The Postcard).

🗓️10 May at the French Institute with Europa Editions
🎟️ www.institut-francais.org.uk/events-agend...
April 22, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
frenchinstituteuk.bsky.social
#BookoftheWeek returns with #Gabriële by Anne & Claire Berest (Europa Editions, trans. by Tina Kover).

Dive into the tempestuous love triangle between Gabriële Buffet, Francis Picabia & Marcel Duchamp.

Meet the author at #BeyondWordsFest on 10 May

www.europaeditions.com/book/9798889...
April 30, 2025 at 1:19 PM
benfaccini.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Swahili? Mandarin? The UK is increasingly multilingual – yet our politicians won’t talk about it | Laura Spinney
Even the census ignores them, but multilinguals could hold the key to Britain’s social and economic future, says science journalist Laura Spinney
www.theguardian.com
March 27, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
rabihalameddine.bsky.social
Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), La plage de Trouville
March 26, 2025 at 2:05 PM
benfaccini.bsky.social
Please come along... I'll be talking to Clara Dupont-Monod about my translation of her book S'Adapter @quercusbooks.bsky.social
www.institut-francais.org.uk/events-agend...
In Conversation with Clara Dupont-Monod - Institut Français · Royaume-Uni
Meet Clara Dupont-Monod in conversation with translator Ben Facini. She will present And the Stones Cry Out (S’adapter), which was shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt in 2021 and was awarded the Prix Go...
www.institut-francais.org.uk
March 3, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
ericawgnr.bsky.social
Please take to the time to write these letters; and repost this thread. Thanks, Ed.
ednewtonrex.bsky.social Ed Newton-Rex @ednewtonrex.bsky.social · Dec 17
Today, the UK government announced a proposal to change copyright law - for the benefit of AI companies - that would cause huge, irreversible harm to creators.

More info below, but most importantly here's what you can do (wherever you live):

1. Email your MP. Template letter in 🧵 👇

1/10
December 18, 2024 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by Ben Faccini
dr-jennifer.bsky.social
"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."

- Isaac Asimov
December 9, 2024 at 3:21 PM
benfaccini.bsky.social
The Cycle of History
December 10, 2024 at 11:01 AM