Last April, Prada launched a global literary contest in search for new creative voices matching fashion and literature.
Each entry was inspired by Prada's eyewear line, with the following question as a starting point:
"What are the realities that our eyes give back to us? And how are these realities filtered through lenses?"
Over 1,300 manuscripts were submitted, written in more than 30 languages, and the five winners were announced in October.
Their stories, published both in their original language and translated into English, make up the first Prada Journal, available today as a free e-book from Prada.com and Feltrinelli Editore.
Here's a synopsis for each of the winning stories:
PRADA JOURNAL: a place for new stories
Gli occhi di Malrico by Mattia Conti (Italy)
Malrico is short-sighted. So much so that he can't see anything barely beyond his nose. Not even the pebble glasses his mother had worked so hard to give him were of any help. Then Teresa came. She, on the other hand, was long-sighted. Strangely, the two started seeing one another for no other reason other than they complemented each other. A tale that accompanies us from the main character's childhood to his old age. A delicate story which, though succinct, succeeds in its intent of talking about a whole lifetime.
Punchline by Leisl Egan (Australia)
Moptop, Poxy, Vladimir and Big Cheese: a group of clowns who put on shows that no one enjoys any more. This tragic situation is made worse by Moptop's fits of depression and the arrival of Moondust, whose performances overshadow the other characters. A story of dignity and lost love in which this motley troupe of actors tries desperately to show its audience an amazing reality. They'll soon find out that there is no show more moving that true reality, seen and filtered through the only, powerful lens that can make it memorable: our heart.
Juan se fue a las estrellas by Angel Mario Fernandez (Argentina/Basque Country)
Carlitos is six and has lost his brother, Juan. When he asks his mother where he has gone she tells him Juan flew to heaven on a pair of wings. Confused and full of questions, Carlitos spends his time asking himself where his brother could be, if he's alone and if he really got to heaven. This marks the start of a tender journey in search of a path to the stars. With a mixture of innocence and tenderness, Carlitos walks through the wood behind his home, looking for the secret passage that will lead him to his brother.
One Car Hooks Into The Next and Pulls by Sarah Harris Wallman (USA)
A train travels its route and observes its passengers as they get on and off. A silent, disillusioned commentator of human behaviour, its eyes see through the windows and register everything, even its passengers' most intimate moments. An elegant woman and a businessman, in particular. A reflection on the fickleness of relationships seen through non-human eyes which nonetheless clearly see the pettiness of human mistakes.
Gray Story by Peng Yang (China)
A bizarre storm and a foundling. This is a story peppered with visionary descriptions, exchanges of letters and news articles. A summary of different viewpoints on the life of this little boy dumb from birth yet capable of weaving all kinds of wonderful animals and figures with his hands. As they punctuate the shows of a shadow theatre, these hands have the task of opening others' eyes as they move elegantly through the languor of a rural setting where we see a floating barge moored in the river, night sky lanterns, bamboo canes and a cobalt moon.
Download Prada Journal now at Prada.com and FeltrinelliEditore.it
