Marco Balzano "Resto Qui"

Marco Balzano is an Italian writer born in Milan in 1978. Apart from being a writer he is also a teacher. He published his first novel in 2010, "Il figlio del figlio" (The son of the son), a novel which was translated into German the following year. Apart from writing fiction, he also published two volumes of poetry and two non fiction books of essays, one of these about the Romantic poet Giacomo Leopardi. The novel "Resto qui" (I stay here) is his first novel nominated for the Strega Literary Award. It's part of the 12 longlist books. It is a story written in the form of a diary, letters sent by our main character Trina to her lost daughter. At the beginning of the Second World War , an Italian region called Alto Adige (German speakers predominantly ) becomes a negative target for Mussolini and his government. Many families chose to leave and go to Germany, Austria and even Switzerland. There are others who chose to stay. This novel focuses on them, their fight against the Mussolini government, survival during the war. Their hopes and dreams. The languages is beautiful and the portrayal of the characters is marvellous. I enjoyed this story very much and I cannot recommend it enough to all of you. #premiostrega, #marcobalzano, #restoqui