Angela Nanetti

Angela Nanetti is an Italian writer. She was born on November 8, 1942, in Budrio (Bologna Province, Italy). There she finished school and entered university, where she studied medieval history. Later she moved to Pescara and worked there as a secondary school teacher, where she was actively engaged in research and also took part in various experimental programs. In the mid-1980s, she collaborated with the Italian Encyclopedia Institute on the creation of the anthology for teenagers Letter in a Bottle. Only in 1995 did she stop teaching and was finally able to devote herself fully to writing. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and are read all over the world, from Thailand to Lithuania.

She began writing in 1984. Her first book, the novel Reflections of Adalberto (La memorie di Adalberto), about how an eleven-year-old child on the threshold of adulthood feels, brought her fame at once.

In 2003, Nanetti received the Andersen National Prize in the category “Best Writer in Italy.” (The Andersen Prize is awarded to the best children’s writers or illustrators; it is the most prestigious award in the world of children’s literature and is also called the “Little Nobel Prize.”) She has also been awarded many other literary honors, both Italian and international. Nanetti is an honorary member of the Italian Union of Writers and Artists (Rome).

Nanetti calls herself a writer for children and “new adults.” And indeed, she has books both for the youngest readers and serious novels. Angela believes that modern children have lost their natural freedom; they are too oppressed by the tense rhythm of modern life, they do not know what silence is, and therefore fear it. In her wise and at the same time stylistically refined books, she tells fascinating stories that help restore a little naturalness and calm to children. In her books, children dream, mothers worry and understand everything, and grandfathers climb trees and bring happiness.