EVENTS

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 OXFORD-WEIDENFELD PRIZE

A recovered gem from the Italian Postcolonial literary canon.

At the outbreak of WWII, in the Italian colony of Eritrea, Sellass is deserted by Carlo, father of her two children. Now, rejected by both the local and Italian communities, she needs to find a way to provide thebare essentials for her children, while taking her anger and frustration out on her daughter Marianna. As time passes by, Marianna will eventually wonder about her origins and start looking for her father.

*Our edition includes two letters written by the woman who inspired Marianna searching for her father.

Abandonment: Recovering Abandoned Histories by Erica L Johnson

Erminia Dell'Oro (Asmara, 1938) is the granddaughter of one of the first Italian settlers who arrived in Eritrea in 1886. At the age of twenty she moved to Milan to continue her studies. She visited Asmara, where her family lived, to write articles and reports. Her first book, Asmara Addio (1988) was a great success. She is the author of many books both for adults and children. Currently, Erminia is involved in promoting reading and participates in meetings in various regions of Italy in schools, libraries and prisons.

Oonagh Stransky has translated works of fiction by Italian authors Starnone, Montale, Pontiggia, Lucarelli, and Spaziani, and nonfiction by Saviano, Pasolini, and others. Her translations have received English PEN grants, and have been nominated for various awards, including the Dublin Impac Award, the International Booker Prize, the Oxford-Weidenfeld Award, the ALTA IPTA prize, and the Silver Dagger Award.