Dacia Maraini

The Silent Duchess is the story of Marianna Ucra, the victim of a mysterious childhood trauma that has left her deaf and mute, trapped in a world of silence. In luminous language that conveys both the keen visual sight and the deep human insight possessed by her remarkable main character, Dacia Maraini captures the splendor and the corruption of Marianna's world and the strength of her unbreakable spirit.

"In In Praise of Disobedience, Italy's most-beloved contemporary writer Dacia Maraini demonstrates her ability to connect past and present through the drama of the life of St. Claire of Assisi, exploring the desire for freedom against the conditions of enclosure and immobility imposed on women throughout time and space"--