One of the most well known Italian writers, Dacia Maraini has published biographic novels on famous women and women writers, and many of her works deal with notions of femininity. She has also been active on the issues of women’s rights and violence against women. Her novels are widely translated into many languages, and she is internationally known as a critic and playwright.
Maraini will talk about her latest book “Chiara D’Assisi, elogio della disobbedienza” (Chiara of Assisi: in Praise of Disobedience, 2014), a narrative biography of the 12th century mystic, where the saint is portrayed as a rebellious, strong willed woman. Starting from the book, Maraini will also talk about her research on women mystics from the beginning of the 12th century to the beginning of the 18th century. Aside from Chiara of Assisi, she will mention other women like Angela da Foligno and Camille Battista Varano.