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10 Migrant women writers in Italy
Essays, novels, poetry & short stories from the UvA Library

Complementary to the previous post, the following list is a first exploration of works – held at the UvA Library – by ten migrant women writers in Italy. The entries for each individual author are complete with a photo, date of birth, and links to useful open access sources.

Aware of the scholarly discourse surrounding the ideas of ‘migrant/migration literature’ (see, for example, the entry “Italian Empire” in The encyclopedia of postcolonial studies or the chapter “Italy and its colonies” in A historical companion to postcolonial literatures: Continental Europe and its empires) and of ‘migrant writers’ (born abroad, or also in Italy from foreign parents?) – let alone the issue, just as pressing, of the women’s label (i.e.: why don’t we speak of ‘men’s literature’?) – I am conscious of how debatable the choice can be of listing together authors with such different backgrounds as Edith Bruck (born in 1931 in a Hungarian jewish family and an Auschwitz survivor) and Gabriella Kuruvilla (born in 1969 in Milan from an Indian father and an Italian mother).

Having in mind, though, that this blog series’ aims, among others, to publish reading recommendations and lists of (scholarly) sources available at the UvA Library about topics which includes decolonization, diversity, gender & sexuality, and (anti)racism, I consider the ‘liberties’, taken in compiling the following list, as partially excusable when set off against the promotion of both the UvA Library collections and (what even more important is) the work of a group of authors who are not only related to the above mentioned topics, but are also made even more interesting by their often being active in other fields than literature alone: from screenwriting (Edith Bruck) to children books (Erminia Dell’Oro), from photography and film-making (Marilena Delli Umuhoza) to music (Gabriella Ghermandi), from painting (Gabriella Kuruvilla and Ornela Vorpsi) to journalism (Igiaba Scego).

Edith Bruck (Tiszabercel, 1931)
More (biographical) information: Institute of Languages Cultures & Societies (School of Advanced Study. University of London); La nave di Teseo. Photo from Éditions du sous-sol.

• Andremo in città, La nave di Teseo, 2021.
• Lettera alla madre, La nave di Teseo, 2022.
• Il pane perduto, La nave di Teseo, 2021.
• Quanta stella c’è nel cielo, Garzanti, 2009.
• La rondine sul termosifone, La nave di Teseo, 2017.
• Il silenzio degli amanti, Marsilio, 1997.
• Specchi, Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2005.
• Tempi, La nave di Teseo, 2021.
• Ti lascio dormire, La nave di Teseo, 2019.
• Versi vissuti: Poesie 1975-1990, Eum, 2018.

Erminia Dell’Oro (Asmara, 1938).
More (biographical) information: Enciclopedia de estudios afroeuropeos (via Internet Archive); La Nave di Teseo. Photo from Internet Festival 2016.

• Asmara, addio, La Tartaruga, 2020.
• Il flauto di dio, Cooperativa Colibrì, 2018.
• Il mare davanti: Storia di Tsegehans Weldeslassie, Piemme, 2017.
• Nel segno della falena, La Tartaruga, 2021.
• Vedere ogni notte le stelle, Manni, 2020.
  

Marilena Delli Umuhoza (L’Aquila, 1981).
More (biographical) information: Academy antirazzismo; Marilena Delli Umuhoza personal website. Photo from Red Star press.

• Negretta: Baci razzisti, Red Star press, 2020.
• Razzismo all’italiana: Cronache di una spia mezzosangue, Aracne, 2016.

Gabriella Ghermandi (Addis Ababa, 1965).
More (biographical) information: Gabriella Ghermandi personal website; Words without borders. Photo from Atse Tewodros Project.

• Queen of flowers and pearls: A novel (English translation by Victoria Offredi Poletto & Giovanna Bellesia-Contuzzi), Indiana University press, 2015.
• Regina di fiori e di perle, Donzelli, 2011.

Anilda Ibrahimi (Vlorë, 1972).
More (biographical) information: Albania letteraria; Internationales Literatufestival Berlin. Photo from Giulio Einaudi editore.

• Il tuo nome è una promessa, Einaudi, 2017.
• Non c’è dolcezza, Einaudi, 2012.
• Volevo essere Madame Bovary, Einaudi, 2022.

Gabriella Kuruvilla (Milano, 1969).
More (biographical) information: Festival delle letterature migranti; Gabriella Kuruvilla personal website. Photo from Morellini editore.

• É la vita, dolcezza, Morellini, 2014.
• Maneggiare con cura, Morellini, 2020.

Shirin Ramzanali Fazel (Mogadishu, 1953).
More (biographical) information: Institute of Languages Cultures & Societies (School of Advanced Study. University of London); Wasafiri: International Contemporary Writing. Photo from MCIS language solutions.

• Nuvole sull’equatore. Gli italiani dimenticati: Una storia, Nerosubianco, 2010.

Igiaba Scego (Rome, 1974)
More (biographical) information: Institute of Languages Cultures & Societies (School of Advanced Study. University of London); Enciclopedia online Treccani. Photo from Zimbio.

• Adua, Giunti, 2015.
• Adua (English translation by Jamie Richards), New Vessel Press, 2017.
• La linea del colore: Il grand tour di Lafanu Brown, Bompiani, 2020.
• La mia casa è dove sono, Loescher, 2010.
• Oltre Babilonia, Donzelli, 2008.
• (with Rino Bianchi) Roma negata: Percorsi postcoloniali nella città, Ediesse, 2014.
  

Ribka Sibhatu (Asmara, 1962)
More (biographical) information: Institute of Languages Cultures & Societies (School of Advanced Study. University of London); Poetry translation centre. Photo from Biografias de mulheres Africanas.

• Il cittadino che non c’è. L’immigrazione nei media italiani, Edizioni dell’Università popolare, 2004.
• L’esatto numero delle stelle e altre fiabe dell’altopiano eritreo, Sinnos, 2012.

Ornela Vorpsi (Tirana, 1968).
More (biographical) information: Archives of Women Artists Research & Exhibitions; Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin. Photo from Belletrista: Celebrating women writers from around the world.

• Bevete cacao Van Houten!, Einaudi, 2010.
• Fuorimondo: Storia di una ragazza di oggi, Einaudi, 2012.
• La mano che non mordi, Einaudi, 2007.
• Il paese dove non si muore mai, Einaudi, 2005.
• Viaggio intorno alla madre, Nottetempo, 2015.