“The Journey of 14”: A Journey to Find the Meaning of Friendship

SGGPO 11/08/2023 16:25

Journey of 14 (Chibooks and Lao Dong Publishing House) by Italian writer Guido Sgardoli brings readers a meaningful message about friendship.

What if one day you discovered that you and your best friend are not really compatible? Franco and Gabry have such a friendship. Starting from the “quicksand pit” incident, when Franz was in danger, Gabry bravely stretched his skinny body towards his best friend, reached out to Franz and said firmly: “I will definitely not leave you here!”.

Two people, two completely different pieces from appearance to personality. Gabry is short, skinny and weak while Franz has the well-proportioned body of a regular swimmer. Gabry is messy, talkative, sloppy and emotional, impulsive. Franz is the complete opposite: orderly, quiet, rational, principled and calm. Even Franz himself, with his passion for mathematics, commented that "we are like complementary angles, when put together, they will fit into a 90-degree angle". And the friendship between the two has always been as close as two peas in a pod.

Cover of the book "Journey at 14" by writer Guido Sgardoli

It wasn’t until the summer of their senior year of high school that Franz and Gabry went on their first “backpacking trip” that completely changed their relationship. For the first time, Franz felt a clear and uncomfortable difference in their relationship.

“On this trip, we became two very different people. Not like the best friends I used to know - best friends who could share together or almost share everything together when we were in Bologna.”

Franz and Gabry's contrasting views, personalities, and emotions, when placed in a situation where they had to rely on each other and go through challenges and difficulties beyond their control on the trip, created countless conflicts and arguments. Typically, the adventurous Gabry did not tell Franz in advance about the real destination of the trip - which made Franz feel like he had been deceived and always thought about wanting to return.

Writer Guido Sgardoli

The re-examination of the boundaries of friendship set during Franz and Gabry’s 14-year-old journey has played a big part in their growth. Especially for two very different pieces, recognizing, accepting and respecting each other is the foundation of the two teenagers’ deep, mature and steadfast friendship.

Writer Guido Sgardoli was born on October 19, 1965 in San Donà di Piave. He is one of the most famous Italian children's writers with over 100 books. He also writes for newspapers, films and television.

Typical works: Journey of 14 years old , Dragon boy , The frozen boy . During his writing process, he received awards such as: Penne Award, Andersen Award, Children's Literature Award "Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cento", Italian Andersen Award in 2009, 2015, 2018; Strega Children's Award in 2019, and more than 10 other awards. His works have been translated into 12 languages.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/hanh-trinh-tuoi-14-hanh-trinh-di-tim-y-nghia-cua-tinh-ban-post713254.html