Viola Di Grado （Italy）
Novelist. She earned an MA in East Asian philosophies at the University of London. Acclaimed by Garzanti Dictionary as “one of the most representative writers of the decade”, she was the youngest writer to be awarded the prestigious Campiello Opera Prima Award. Her debut book Settanta acrilico trenta lana was also awarded the Rapallo Carige Award, it was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and for the Strega Award and it was a bestseller in both Italy and in the US. Her second book Cuore Cavo was shortlisted for the PEN Literary Awards, the IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards and the IPTA Italian Prose in Translation Award. Her fourth book Fuoco al cielo, out in 2019, is now shortlisted for the Viareggio Repaci Award, the Biblioteche di Roma Award and the Grotte della Gulfa Award.