Books / translated literature
Heron Books and Foundry Editions host ‘indie twinning’ event with bestselling Italian author Chiara Valerio
As part of Independent Bookshop Week (running 14-21 June), Heron Books will be holding an ‘indie twinning’ event with indie press Foundry Editions – who specialise in translations of literature from the Mediterranean Basin.
On June 18, they are holding a special event with Italian literary star Chiara Valerio, marking the publication of her bestselling and award-nominated LGBTQ+ novel The Little I Knew, translated from Italian by Ailsa Wood.
As well as being a novelist, Valerio is an editor, cultural commentator and mathematician. Her work draws comparison to Virginia Woolf, Elena Ferrante and Ruth Rendell, and this novel has been dubbed “one of the most exciting Italian books for a generation”.
is needed now More than ever
Chiara Valerio – photo: Laura Sciacovelli
In Scauri, a small seaside town outside Rome, Vittoria dies unexpectedly in her bath. The townsfolk meet the event with sombrely respectful southern Italian silence, but Lea, the town lawyer, wants to investigate. Who was Vittoria? Why had she mysteriously arrived in Scauri thirty years earlier? And was her relationship with Lea all that it seemed?
After a discussion of the novel, Valerio will be available to sign copies of the book.
Heron Books will be featuring different translated titles from Foundry Editions throughout the week, helping to amplify stories from authors who may be new to English speakers; hailing from a part of the world “that has always been a source of cultural and emotional inspiration” for readers.
Photo: Foundry Editions
Chiara Valerio: The Little I Knew is at Heron Books on June 18 at 6pm, made possible with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute, London. Tickets are free but RSVP to indicate numbers. Visit www.heronbooks.co.uk or www.foundryeditions.co.uk for more information.
Main photo: Laura Sciacovelli
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