RightsList 2015 mp - Grandi e Associati

GRANDI & ASSOCIATI
TRANSLATION RIGHTS
London Book Fair 2015
Agent’s Centre Table 18D
www.grandieassociati.it
Fiction
Franca Cavagnoli, LUMINUSA
Frassinelli, June 2015, pp. 136
Lampedusa. The name conjures up images of blinding sunlight and blazing fire, and the glistening sea with
all its hues of blue and green. But in that same sea twenty thousand people have lost their lives. Sometimes a
single sandal, or the photo of a black-skinned woman in a white wedding dress, are all that remains as
evidence that they every lived. Mario, a political science student from Milan, heads to the island of
Lampedusa to work as a volunteer and decides to tell the stories that lie behind these objects, and sets up an
Immigration museum. To remind everyone of the common and universal destiny we all share, as migrants.
Franca Cavagnoli is a writer and translator. She has written several novels: Una pioggia bruciante and
Non si è seri a 17 anni (Frassinelli); Mbaqanga and Black (Feltrinelli). She has translated and edited works
by J.M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Katherine Mansfield, Toni Morrison and V.S. Naipaul. She writes for the
Italian newspaper «Il Manifesto». Her essay, La voce del testo, won the Lo straniero prize in 2013.
Marco Cubeddu, PORNOKILLER
Mondadori, February 2015, pp. 252
An irresistible pulp smoothie penned by the most irreverent hand of the new generation.
While walking around the center of Turin dragging his leg, which had lost its functionality after a heated
discussion with Dimitri, Carlo Ballauri sees her, of indefinable age, with an adolescent body, a bouquet of
roses in hand, and a deal on her lips: "Fifty euro or I 'll scream that you're trying to rape me." It is her, the
muse he has been seeking to resume his old project: the mockumentary, "Cyberpunk Lolita.” Carlo swallows
his pride, makes peace with his best enemy, and finds the money to set up the project. Most importantly, he
found her, his lead, his Lolita, the green light across the lake: Brunhilde, a problematic and wonderful
eighteen-year-old. Could this be the moment he has been waiting for? —the moment when his spring of
promise would blossom into his bright summer of success? Or will something —karma ,love, fate, or
gullibility lead to inevitable failure?
Marco Cubeddu was born in Genoa just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since then he attended six high
schools, played his luck, and attended the Holden School of cinematography, became a firefighter and he
made his debut with the cult novel Con una bomba a mano sul cuore (Mondadori, 2013). He currently writes
for numerous newspapers and magazines.
Rights with Mondadori.
Paolo Di Stefano, OGNI ALTRA VITA. STORIA DI ITALIANI NON ILLUSTRI
Il Saggiatore, January 2015, pp. 256
Paolo Di Stefano re-reads the diaries and listens to the recollections of ordinary Italians, giving them a voice
that no one has ever heard before, digging deeply into their lives and disclosing a fragment of the universal
history of Italy. From austere and antiquated Sicily to the trendy Milan of today, the author describes love
and marriage, world wars and family battles, squabbles and misunderstandings, and variously changing
lifestyles.
Paolo Di Stefano, correspondent of «Il Corriere della Sera» has been chief of cultural pages. He debuted in
journalism at «Il Corriere del Ticino» in Lugano. He worked for Einaudi and «La Repubblica» and published
several novels. In French he has been translated by Metropolis.
Sandrone Dazieri, UCCIDI IL PADRE
Mondadori, May 2014, pp. 508
45.000 copies sold
A superb thriller that will keep readers turning pages eagerly into the wee small hours, until they reach the
surprise ending.
Colomba Caselli is a female cop. Well, she was at least. She’d been the youngest ever head of the Rome
Homicide Division, but now lives in total isolation, unable to get over what she calls “The Disaster” – a
terrifying event that put her into hospital for a prolonged stay and since then has triggered massive panic
attacks. Dante Torre is a survivor. He was kidnapped as a child by a maniac who wanted to be called The
Father. The Father shut him away in a silo for nine years, taught him to read and write, and coerced him into
submission. However, Dante escaped only to discover that everyone believed him dead, and that he no longer
had a family. He now dreads enclosed spaces, and has made it his life’s work to find people who have
vanished without a trace and unmask child molesters, albeit unbeknownst to virtually everyone. When a
woman is found murdered just outside Rome, Colomba’s old boss puts her in touch with Dante. He helps her
search for the dead woman’s son who has disappeared. Dante has never worked with the police, whom he
despises for what happened to him, Colomba thinks Dante is an insufferable weirdo, but together they make
a discover that will change their lives forever. The boy was kidnapped by someone whose Modus Operandi is
identical to The Father, who everyone believes to be long dead. But what if it really is the same man that had
kept Dante a prisoner thirty years before? What if The Father had never stopped kidnapping and killing in
the shadows?
Sandrone Dazieri is one of the foremost names in Italian noir fiction. His success as a television screen
writer and one of his most popular characters, the Gorilla, as portrayed on screen by Italian actor Claudio
Bisio, have helped him carve a name for himself as a truly trail blazing author. This is his first foray into a
new genre: an unputdownable thriller that took him two years to write and features two absolutely
unforgettable characters.
Rights sold to: Piper (Germany); Laffont (France); Alfaguara (World Spanish Rigths); Xander
(Holland); Patakis (Grece); Hayakawa (Japan), Ombra (Albania)
First hundred pages in English, French, German, Dutch and Spanish translations available
Elisa Guidelli, MATILDE DI CANOSSA
Odoya, July 2015, pp. 350
A historical novel to recreate the life of Countess Matilda of Canossa.
The life, grief, loves, fall and rise, struggles and passions of Matilda of Canossa, the Great Countess of
Tuscany. A historical novel that relives the major events of the Countess’ life through infancy, youth,
adulthood and old age endeavouring to restore all the power to this prominent Italian figure, 900 years after
her death.
Elisa Guidelli, was born in Modena, has a degree in Medieval History and works as a bookseller. Under the
pseudonym of Eliselle she has written: Laureande sull’orlo di una crisi di nervi (2005, Fabrizio Filios
Editore); Nel paese delle ragazze suicide (2006, Coniglio Editore) and Ecstasy love (2007, Eumeswil). Her
latest titles are: Fidanzato in affitto (2008, Newton Compton); Le avventure di una Kitty addicted (2010,
Leggereditore) republished in 2013 as Il profumo dell’amore ritrovato and the noir novel La Fame (2011,
Miraviglia Editore). She has also published Centouno modi per diventare bella, milionaria e stronza (2010,
Newton Compton) and has contributed to numerous anthologies. She co-wrote the historical novel
Francigena – Novellario a.D. 1107 (Fabrizio Filios Editore) with Sorrentino and Covili, under her real name,
Elisa Guidelli.
Paola Maraone, Paola La Rosa, STRAZIAMI MA DI TOFU SAZIAMI
Rizzoli, March 2015, pp. 224
When Francesco runs Alice over with his bicycle, it’s love at first sight. There’s just one teeny weeny problem:
Francesco is staunchly vegan and that doesn’t just mean no meat or fish, but no car or detergent either. And
he makes his own clothes. What about Alice? Is she prepared to change her life around entirely for love?
Paola Maraone is a journalist at the Italian glossy women’s magazine «Gioia». She is also an author and
has published several books including Cineterapia - 99 film che fanno bene al cuore (2008), Ero una brava
mamma prima di avere figli (2009), and Tutto quello che so della vita l’ho imparato da Sex and The City
(2010). She is also a blogger: erounabravamamma.blogspot.it.
Paola La Rosa has worked for ten years as a television scriptwriter and was vegan for six years. Then she
got it out of her system. Today, she is has no food biases whatsoever and is confident she will succeed in her
quest to become a Formula One race car driver; after all, it’s always been her favourite occupation.
Chiara Marchelli, LE MIE PAROLE PER TE
Piemme, March 2015, pp. 224
Claudia has been married for years and is the mother of two children. She lives with her family in New York
and her life is suddenly turned upside down after meeting a woman, Alessandra, with whom she falls madly
in love. Overwhelmed by this new love, she decides to put herself first, even before her own children:
accepting the fact that she is inflicting inconceivable pain on her loved ones so as to satisfy her deepest needs.
Chiara Marchelli earned a degree in Eastern Languages from the University of Venice. She lived in
Belgium and Egypt before moving to New York, where she has lived since 1999.
In 2003 she published her first novel, Angeli e cani (Marsilio), which won the Rapallo Carige Opera Prima
Prize for first-time authors, and in 2007 a collection of short stories entitled Sotto i tuoi occhi (Fazi), L’amore
involontario (Piemme) . She has taught Italian and creative writing at New York University since 2004 and
works with various American agencies and publishers as an editor, copywriter and translator.
Bruno Morchio, IL TESTAMENTO DEL GRECO
Rizzoli, April 2015, pp. 292
Bruno Morchio introduces a new character: Alessandro Kostas, a 36-years old who wanders aimlessly
through life until he comes across the last will and testament of his father, il Greco, who died twenty years
earlier. Thus he discovers that his father was a senior member of the Italian secret service in the 1970s and
80s, and that he and his team were involved in all the subversive events that took place in Italy during those
years. Alessandro ends up unravelling the effects that those events have had on modern Italy – vendettas,
showdowns, new conspiracies. He also has to deal with the most painful mysteries of his own family.
Bruno Morchio lives in Genoa, where he is a practising psychotherapist. His publications include the
popular Private Eye Bacci Pagano series, including Colpi di coda (Garzanti, 2010), Rossoamaro (Garzanti,
2008) Le cose che non ti ho detto (Garzanti, 2007) and Con la morte non si tratta (Garzanti, 2006), Lo
spaventapasseri (Garzanti, 2013) and Un conto aperto con la morte (Garzanti, 2014).
Massimo Polidoro, IL PASSATO È UNA BESTIA FEROCE
Piemme, March 2015, pp. 427
Thirty-three years have gone by since Monica Ferreri disappeared as a child, without leaving a trace. Since
then just about everyone has forgotten about her. A mysterious letter that Monica wrote the night before she
vanished is found and it reawakens the uneasiness surrounding a mystery that has never been solved. Bruno
Jordan, a successful reporter for the magazine "Krimen" receives the letter. He is a forty-something going
through a mid-life crisis. Many years before, he had been Monica’s classmate and best friend. That letter
represents the perfect excuse for Bruno to leave Milan: from the editorial office that is suffocating him, from
the last in a long list of girlfriends who have dumped him and, above all, from the threats of some low-lives
who have him in their sights because of one of his hard-hitting investigative reports. With the help of
Costanza Piras, a young and gutsy police inspector, Bruno returns to the scene of his childhood to investigate
what happened to Monica. The more he delves into the mystery, the more terrifying what he uncovers
becomes and he realises far too late that the past is like a wild beast that is best not disturbed.
Massimo Polidoro is a writer, professor of Scientific and Psychological Method at the University of Milan.
His latest books are: Etica criminale, Un gioco infame, Enigmi e misteri della storia and Indagine sulla vita
eterna (with Marco Vannini). He has written a children story under the pen name Max Keller. More
information on his website: http://www.massimopolidoro.com/
Alberto Riva, IL SAMBA DI SCARLATTI
Mondadori, April 2015, pp. 250
Franco Scarlatti, an ex-cop from Italy, half-Milanese and half-Neapolitan, has lived in Rio for years running a
real-estate agency on the Copacabana beach. He’s a lover of good food and good music, and he’s stuck in an
uneasy relationship with his ex-wife, Carol. But his day-to-day existence is thrown into chaos on the hot
Saturday morning before Lent when the body of a man dressed as Mandrake, is discovered. And that body
was of the famous journalist, Gigi Fossati. Shortly thereafter, the investigators come to Scarlatti and he
decides to start a parallel investigation to discover soon that things are not what they seem. There are
mysteries surrounding the Italian expat community, a group that moves among the dazzling present and the
shadows of the past with grace and impunity. Moreover, his inquiries bring him back to his own past life. A
noir, a comedy, a poignant love story set in hypnotic Rio de Janeiro. Riva’s Copacabana Beach is a long way
from what we see in postcards, it is like Pennac’s Belleville and Riva’s unforgettable characters will capture
the hearts of readers, starting from Franco Scarlatti, part hero, part crook, who behind cynicism, sharp jokes,
and ambition, hides a quick brain and a very noble soul.
Alberto Riva (Milan, 1970) lives between Milan and Rio de Janeiro, where he corresponds for a number
of Italian magazines. He is the author of Sete. translated in German.
Rights with Mondadori.
Carla Maria Russo, LA BASTARDA DEGLI SFORZA
Piemme, March 2015, pp. 352
A portrait of Caterina Sforza, the illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo, Duke of Milan. A fearless warrior of a
woman, a mistress of her own destiny, and with the wherewithal to marry at the age of 10, to rescue the
Duchy from the Pope. A determined, tenacious, beautiful and versatile woman, admired throughout Europe
for her fighting spirit. Her extraordinary personality earned her the nickname Tygre.
Carla Maria Russo lives in Milan. She published La Sposa Normanna with Piemme (2005) to huge
public acclaim, which won the literary Città di Cuneo Prize for a First Novel and the Feudo di Maida Prize,
followed by Il Cavaliere del Giglio (2007) and L’Amante del Doge (2008). Waiting for Lola won the Fenice
Europa literary award. Her books have been translated into several European languages.
Evelina Santangelo, NON VA SEMPRE COSÌ
Einaudi, March 2015, pp. 211
Valentina is a contract teacher, now jobless and husbandless, whose teenage daughter, Matilde, has decided
to clam up. Undeterred, she comes up with the notion of a cheap green bike, made entirely out of cardboard.
It’s an invention that nobody is prepared to gamble on, but which could revolutionise the lives of many
people, starting with her own family.
Evelina Santangelo was born in Palermo. Einaudi published a collection of short stories entitled
L’occhio cieco del mondo, and her novels La lucertola color smeraldo, Il giorno degli orsi volanti (French
world rights sold to: Les allusifs), Senza terra and Cose da pazzi.
Roberto Tiraboschi, ALLA RICERCA DELLA LUCE. VENETIA A.D. 1106
e/o, January 2015, pp. 288
Venice, 1106. Edgardo D’Arduino arrives in the city of glass-makers searching for the mysterious stone, the
“lapides ad legendum” which according to legend can cure his loss of vision: it is vital for him to regain his
eyesight, so he can continue his work as a scribe. A desperate hunt for the miracle stone is intertwined with
the investigation of an unsolved crime. The careful and historically accurate reconstruction of medieval
Venice, never used before, is the setting for a tale of love and blackmail, tarnished by terrible crimes, false
friendships, power struggles and natural disasters. The first in a trilogy to be published almost concurrently
also in the United States and the UK.
Roberto Tiraboschi was born in Bergamo but lives in both Rome and Venice. Playwright and scriptwriter,
he has worked with many Italian directors, including Liliana Cavani, Marco Pontecorvo and Silvio Soldini.
E/O has also published Sguardo 11 and Sonno (Winner of the Premio Nazionale di Narrativa Bergamo).
Rights sold to: Europa Editions (World English Rights)
English translation available
Non Fiction
Mario Maffi, CITTÀ DI MEMORIA
Il Saggiatore, October 2014, pp. 256
New York, New Orleans, Paris, Manchester, Salford, London: six cities, six memorable places, six journeys in
space and time, six interpretations of the world. Mario Maffi takes readers on a voyage of discovery, revealing
parts of the world that the mainstream tourism industry has neglected and forgotten, and disclosing
historical events that have been lost or quashed.
Mario Maffi teaches Anglo-American Culture at the Milan Università degli Studi. Among the many books
he’s written, the most recently-published are New York. L’isola delle colline (2003), Nel mosaico della città.
Differenze etniche e nuove culture in un quartiere di New York (2006), Tamigi. Storie di fiume (2008),
Mississippi. Il Grande Fiume (2009; The French translation won the French Prix Ptolémée de Géographie).
Valerio Massimo Manfredi, LE SETTE MERAVIGLIE DEL MONDO ANTICO
Mondadori, November 2014, pp. 300
The history and lot of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, viewed from an entirely novel perspective.
How these monumental works were created and how they then went on to inspire awe among their
contemporaries and for many generations to come. Just one of the original Seven Wonders still stands, the
Great Pyramid of Giza, in all its exposed and mutilated magnificence. Nothing remains of the others. The
bitter truth is that not even the most extraordinary works of human hands can outlive the civilisation that
created them.
Valerio Massimo Manfredi (Modena, 1943) is an archaeologist and scholar of the ancient Greek and
Roman world. His Alexander trilogy has been translated into 38 languages and published in 62 countries. He
has also written screenplays for film and television, has contributed journalistic articles to many magazines
in Italy and abroad and has written and conducted cultural programmes and television documentaries for
important international producers.
Rights sold to Greece (Psichogios), Romania (Editura Allfa).
Gabriele Nissim, LA LETTERA A HITLER
Mondadori, April 2014, pp. 312
With a letter addressed directly to Hitler, Armin Wegner was the first to denounce the Armenian genocide of
1915-16. An author and tireless champion of human rights, he later also denounced the Holocaust and the
failings of Communism. With a painstaking historical reconstruction and based on numerous letters from the
family archives, Nissim pens a biography of the man who had the courage to speak out against the genocides
of the 20th century.
Gabriele Nissim (Milano 1950), essayist, founded in 1982 «L'Ottavo Giorno», an Italian magazine about
the clandestine dissent in the East of Europe. He works for «Il Mondo», «Il Giornale» and «Il Corriere della
Sera». He published with Mondadori, with Gabriele Eschenazi, Ebrei invisibili: I sopravvissuti dell'Europa
orientale dal comunismo a oggi, L'uomo che fermò Hitler, Il tribunale del bene, Una bambina contro Stalin
and La Bontà insensata.
Paolo Paci, NEL VENTO E NEL GHIACCIO
Sperling&Kupfer, May 2015, pp. 200
The 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the Matterhorn: biography of a legend
Ever since the early days of exploratory mountaineering, the Matterhorn has been the unrivalled symbol of
the Alps. Following Whymper’s tragic ascent in 1865, the Matterhorn has undergone a gradual
transformation from a magical, inaccessible place to an irresistible draw card for new investors, complete
with high altitude cities, railways, cable ways and top notch hotel accommodations. The book is both a
travelogue and a valuable piece of research jam-packed with commentaries covering the history of the
mountain from a whole new perspective.
Paolo Paci was born in Milan in 1959, he is a professional journalist and from a quarter-century he writes
touristic reportage. He is a mountaineer and a gourmet, he has published guides, sports manual and travel
novels. His latest books are: Alpi, una grammatica d’alta quota, Cuochi, artisti, visionari (both for
Feltrinelli) and the photographic book 365 giorni sulle Alpi (Mondadori)
Rights with Sperling&Kupfer
Giuseppina Torregrossa, A SANTIAGO CON CELESTE
Nottetempo, November 2014, pp. 98
From Rome to Santiago, by train, on foot (and sometimes by taxi). This is the story of the author’s travels
with her friend, Celeste. Celeste never sleeps, talks incessantly, eats mountains of fruit and walks way too
fast. A spiritual, physical and at the same time emotional haven in an entertaining and thought-provoking
landscape flowing from intolerance to acceptance. Travel broadens the mind and can also change it.
Giuseppina Torregrossa is a doctor and writer who resides in both Sicily and Rome. She has written
many novels, all best sellers, including Il conto delle mine (2009); Adele (2012) and Manna e miele, ferro e
fuoco (2011) and La miscela segreta di casa Olivares (2014). Her previous novels have been translated to
Dutch, German, French and Turkish.
Children/Young Adult
Miriam Dubini, NON TOCCATE LA TERRA
Rizzoli, March 2015, pp. 135
Five fearless kids want to believe there is another way and that another world is possible. In Taranto, their
city, the smokestacks at the Ilva steelworks spew out their toxic fumes, day and night, poisoning the air, the
sea and the ground. The children can no longer play outside, the mayor has put it very bluntly. Everyone
complains, some fall ill but, bottom line, they all need to work and the Ilva plant is their only option. Or is it?
Five undersized superheroes challenge the pervading silence and resignation with their own superpower:
their vision of a different future.
Miriam Dubini has written comic books for Disney and Edizioni BD, and has also invented games using
recycled materials for Art Attack Magazine. She currently lives in Rome where she moved to write children’s
movies, TV series and novels. She also presents workshops on recycling and creative writing in schools.
Amongst her previous works is the trilogy Aria (Mondadori, 2012) which has been translated into 5
languages.
Luigi Garlando, L’ESTATE CHE CONOBBI IL CHE
Rizzoli, April 2015, pp. 174
Cesare is a 12-year-old from a rich family living in the North of Italy and doesn’t seem to be lacking anything.
On his birthday he receives some bad news: he finds out that the family business is in trouble and more
importantly, his grandfather ends up in hospital. While Cesare watches him being carried into the
ambulance, he can’t help but notice the tattoo on his shoulder. Who is the man with the beard? He is Ernesto
Guevara, commonly known as “Che” Guevara. And it will be his grandfather, Riccardo, who will tell him all
about Che’s life – from his travels in South America to the revolution in Cuba.
Luigi Garlando is a journalist at the «Gazzetta dello Sport» and a successful writer for many Italian
publishers as Rizzoli, Mondadori and Piemme. His most popular books include: Per questo mi chiamo
Giovanni, Mio papà scrive la guerra (Winner of the Cento 2005 Award). His bestselling series Gol!
(Piemme) sells more than 5,000 copies a week in Italy alone, and is translated worldwide.
Cristina Obber, L’altra parte di me
Piemme, October 2014, pp. 216
A different kind of love: the fear of feelings, and the obligation and impulse to follow them.
A tender and passionate story, the relationship between two adolescent girls, Giulia and Francesca, that
begins amongst the likes on Facebook. The first kiss, the first time and the first intense emotions of first love,
to defend and to fight even more fiercely for given that there is no space in the equation for a Prince
Charming.
Cristina Obber is a journalist who writes about women’s issues. Her latest book entitled Non lo faccio più
is being studied in Italian schools and has given rise to a blog: www.nonlofacciopiu.net. Czech rights for Siria
Mon Amour (with Amani El Nasif) have been sold to Alpress.