EVENTS

A recovered gem from the Italian Postcolonial literary
canon.

At the outbreak of WWII, in the Italian colony of Eritrea,
Sellass and her two children are deserted by Carlo. Now,
rejected by both the local and Italian communities,
she needs to find a way to provide the bare 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.

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, including this one, and have been nominated for the Dublin Impac Award. Born in Paris, she grew up in the Middle East and London, went to university in America, and lived in NYC for nearly two decades before settling in Italy.