Biography
Guia Risari was born in 1971 in Milan, where she studied Classics and Philosophy at Università Statale and worked as an educationalist and a journalist for L’Unità.
After obtaining her degree in Philosophy, she specialized in Modern Jewish Studies at Leeds University. She moved to France in 1997 in order to prepare a PhD in Comparative Literature both at the Sorbonne and La Sapienza.
She has dedicated lectures and articles to Levi, Améry and Benjamin and held conferences in various universities.
She published two essays The Document Within the Walls. The Romance of Bassani (Troubador Publishing, 2nd ed. 2004) and Jean Améry. Il risentimento come morale (Franco Angeli, 2002), winner of several awards.
She has translated for Feltrinelli, L’aîné des Orphelins by Tierno Monénembo (Seuil, 2000; Prix Tropiques 2000), Respire by Anne-Sophie Brasme (Fayard, 2001) and for L’Ippocampo L’Afrique…petit Chaka by Marie Sellier and Marion Lesage (Réunion de Musées Nationaux, 2000, Andersen Prize 2006, Prix Sorcières 2001).
She has translated and edited La Vie scélérate by Maryse Condé for E/O (Seghers, 1987, Prix Anäis-Ségalas de l’Académie Française 1988) and Le sang du ciel by Piotr Rawicz (Gallimard, 1961) for Giuntina and numerous children books for EDT.
Her stories include Digestione (“Sagarana”, n. 2, 2001), Il segreto di Miguel la Lune (www.garzantilibri.it/articoli), 25 dicembre 1998 and Il vestito di Juanita (“Nuova Prosa”, n. 31, 2001), Diario di Milaidis De Los Angeles Casanova Carmina (Le Notti, Empirìa 2003; Ortese Award 2002), Le ore di Busan (Disarmonie, Comitato Internazionale 8 Marzo 2003, Award “Lune di Primavera” 2003), L’alieno (“Prospektiva”, n. 24, 2003; Award “Una lettera contro il razzismo” 2002), L’interprete (Donne Sommerse, Prospettiva 2003; Award “Ideadonna” 2003), Pecore in Terra Santa (“La luna di traverso”, n. 20, 2008), In quella strada, (“La nuova Palatina”, n. 2, 2009).
Amongst her tales are Pane e Oro (ill. C. Mariniello, Panini, 2004), Nino Mangialegno, (in Parole di legno, ill. T. Altan, Campanotto, 2002; awarded “Vileg novella dal Judri” 2002), La macchina di Celestino (ill. C. Mariniello, Lapis, 2006), Aquiles el puntito (ill. M. Taeger, Kalandraka, 2006), Il Cavaliere che pestò la coda al drago (ill. I. Urbinati, Edt-Giralangolo 2008), La terre respire (ill. A. Sanna, Memo 2008), La filastrocca dei sei sensi, L'ode all'acciuga (in Le più belle filastrocche di tutti i tempi, Liberamente Editore 2009), La coda canterina (ill. V. Lopíz, Topipittori 2010) and Gli occhiali fantastici (ill. S. Rea, Panini 2010).
In France, she has had published her stories Les Départs (“Poésie Première”, n. 30, 2004) and Nuit Palestinienne, plus the poem J’ai vu (www.toulouse-palestine.org, Jan. 2002).
She also published two surrealistic texts: Il pesce spada e la serratura (ill. by T. Altan, Beisler, 2007) and L'alfabeto dimezzato (ill. by C. Carrer, Beisler, 2007).
She now lives in Turin and writes for publishers and magazines, while she leads creative laboratories