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'The Missing Word': Concita De Gregorio presents her latest novel in London
Portal of the Italian language

‘The Missing Word’: Concita De Gregorio presents her latest novel in London

Categories: Culture and creativity -Literature and Publishing
A conversation with the writer, journalist and TV presenter to explore the meaning of the 'missing word'.
The missing word - particolare di copertina
The missing word – particolare di copertina

The Italian Cultural Institute in London presents a virtual meeting with Concita De Gregorio on 26 May.

The writer will present her latest book entitled “The Missing Word”, recently published in English by Europa Editions, in conversation with the translator Clarissa Botsford.

Based on a true story, an urgently told psychological thriller and the fierce portrait of a woman in all her frailty and courage.

Irina’s life with her husband and her twin daughters is orderly. An Italian living in Switzerland, she works as a lawyer. One day, something breaks. The marriage ends without apparent trauma, but on a weekend seemingly like any other, the girls’ father takes Alessia and Livia away with him. They disappear. A few days later the man takes his own life. Of the girls, there is no trace.

Concita De Gregorio takes the unadorned, terrible facts of this true story and embodies the protagonist’s voice. In a narrative that is fast and urgent, she unravels these traumatic events to tell the story of a mother bereft of her children – a state for which there is no word. “The Missing Word” delves deep into Irina’s thoughts and memories as she grasps at the shreds of truth and, piece by piece, stitches her life back together.

Concita De Gregorio is a writer, journalist, and broadcaster. One of la Repubblica‘s best known and long-established columnists, she has written several works of non-fiction on politics and current affairs, as well as women’s and children’s issues. She was the editor of l’Unità newspaper, and is the creator and host of several successful news and current affairs programs for Italian national radio and television. “The Missing Word” is her second novel.

Clarissa Botsford studied Italian at Cambridge and Comparative Education in London. She currently teaches English and Translation Studies at Roma Tre University. Her translations from the Italian include “Tonight is Already Tomorrow” by Lia Levi (Europa, 2021) and “Nives” by Sacha Naspini (Europa, 2021).

Look for more information on: iiclondra.esteri.it.

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