海角大神

How to revive a floundering publishing industry? Oddly enough, in Italy the answer is a reality TV show.

This Sunday is the premiere of 鈥淢asterpiece,鈥� an Italian talent show competition that pits aspiring writers against one another to win a book deal.

That鈥檚 right, it鈥檚 鈥�American Idol鈥� for authors.

鈥淚taly is a country where people read less and less 鈥� they鈥檙e publishing more books and selling fewer,鈥� novelist and 鈥淢asterpiece鈥� judge Giancarlo De Cataldo told . 鈥淭he book is dying, and we must do everything we can to save it. Even a talent show.鈥�

The creators of 鈥淢asterpiece鈥� hope to bring the same attention to books that shows like 鈥淎merican Idol,鈥� 鈥淐hina鈥檚 Got Talent,鈥� and 鈥�X Factor Indonesia鈥� have brought to music, and, as put it, to 鈥渃reate a new class of literary stars.鈥�

At stake is a book deal with Italian imprint Bompiani, a massive initial print run of 100,000 copies 鈥� and the sort of attention and fame most writers could only dream of.

Here鈥檚 how the talent competition works: Prospective contestants submit a manuscript of an unpublished novel 鈥� nearly 5,000 flooded the offices of 鈥淢asterpiece鈥� when the call went out, according to the . Readers select a dozen contestants for each of six episodes, which judges then winnow down to four hopefuls per show.

Each of the four contestants participates in some sort of event that is designed to inform his or her writing (for example, watching a wedding or spending a day with the blind), then return to the studio for the main event: a tension-fraught writing assignment. Writers sit at keyboards facing judges and tap out prose with their words projected on screens for the audience to see as a clock counts down. Time allotted for this assignment? A pressure-filled 30 minutes.

They then read their written assignments aloud to judges, who deliberate and dismiss two writers. The final competition is a 59-second elevator pitch to literary celebrities. A winner is chosen from each of six episodes, then finalists are gathered together for a final competition to determine who wins a book deal 鈥� and a good deal of celebrity.

The show, of course, has drawn controversy. Some say it reduces the art of writing to a crass competition and stage act, even farce.

But for some, the appeal of this idea lies in its utter unexpectedness, the jarring juxtaposition of writing 鈥� typically a reflective act done in solitude 鈥� and reality TV 鈥� by its very definition an attention-grabbing forum. And, as the Times points out, this is no-holds-barred entertainment: 鈥淎ll the conventions of the TV talent show are present: the tantalizing possibility of fame, excruciating exposure, an expert panel delivering life-changing verdicts.鈥�

The 49-year-old Roman lawyer and 鈥淢asterpiece鈥� contestant Alessandro Ligi spoke to the peculiar juxtaposition created by the show when he said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing more intimate than writing. It鈥檚 something I do alone and I don鈥檛 tolerate anyone even peeking at my computer.鈥�

But as novelist and judge Taiye Selasi said, 鈥淪hy or not shy you鈥檙e going to have to 鈥� if you want to be a published writer 鈥� expose yourself in some way.鈥�

And if viewers think it鈥檚 just a bizarre Italian experiment, think again: If 鈥淢asterpiece鈥� is a hit, producers will be eyeing other markets.

鈥淢asterpiece: America,鈥� anyone?

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.