(1986-1997)

Within Tondelli’s literary production “Biglietti agli amici” is a “personal” book for very few people ; ” … a precious book, well-crafted and put together with care”. Initially, ” … it was supposed to be a ‘livre d’art’ ; fifty copies in all with the astrological and angelic charts hand-drawn by an artist”. Instead, it was published by Baskerville in 1986, with a structure similar to the hours of the day that make up the astrological and angelic charts taken from Barrett. The brief prose is written in the evanescent form of pillow-talk and nocturnal meditation. About a hundred copies of the book were printed. The edition for the people to whom the letters were written bears their full names in the dedications. This printing was private in nature and not for sale. The bookstore edition, entirely autographed by the author, has only the friends’ initials in the dedications. At first, to maintain the private nature of the publication, Tondelli had asked those journalists to whom he had sent the book, not to discuss it. The writer revised the text, with several corrections and modifications, during his hospital stay in Reggio Emilia in 1991. The unfinished draft, which would have eventually become a text for wide distribution, can no longer be found.

Tondelli wrote, ” ‘Biglietti agli amici’ is the first text of a production that could be defined as ‘underground’ – in a limited edition and aimed at a protected audience – ever undertaken by a small publishing house”. In this way – between one narrative attempt and another – the author, along with small publisher/friends, tried to create a laboratory in which the transforming of a text into a book was an adventure of solidarity, commitment and fun.

A new edition of the book – explaining its history and including the anastatic printing of several unpublished typewritten letters – was edited by Fulvio Panzeri and put out by Bompiani in 1997.