Abandonment
A recovered gem from the Italian Postcolonial literary canon.
At the outbreak of WWII, in the Italian colony of Eritrea,Sellass is deserted by Carlo, father of her two children. Now, rejected by both the local and Italiancommunities, she needs to find a way to provide thebare essentials for her children, while takingher anger and frustration out on her daughterMarianna. As time passes by, Marianna will eventuallywonder about her origins and start looking for her father.
*Our edition includes two letters written by the woman who inspired Marianna searching for her father.
Abandonment: Recovering Abandoned Histories by Erica L Johnson
Erminia Dell’Oro (Asmara, 1938) is the granddaughter of one of the first Italian settlers who arrived in Eritrea in 1886. At the age of twenty she moved to Milan to continue her studies. She visited Asmara, where her family lived, to write articles and reports. Her first book, Asmara Addio (1988) was a great success. She is the author of many books both for adults and children. Currently, Erminia is involved in promoting reading and participates in meetings in various regions of Italy in schools, libraries and prisons.
Oonagh Stransky has translated works of fiction by Italian authors Starnone, Montale, Pontiggia, Lucarelli, and Spaziani, and nonfiction by Saviano, Pasolini, and others. Her translations have received English PEN grants, including this one, and have been nominated for the Dublin Impac Award. Born in Paris, she grew up in the Middle East and London, went to university in America, and lived in NYC for nearly two decades before settling in Italy.