The Typewriter of Time
The past is an irresistible magnet. It draws us in and captivates us with thrilling, fantastical and harrowing tales that carry timeless messages. Similar to the story in Viola Ardone's Il treno dei bambini, which follows a train of hope in 1946 as it travels across Italy from South to North, an international bestseller; or the tale set against the backdrop of World War II’s Piedmont province, which inspired the recent publishing sensation Ferrovie del Messico by Gian Marco Griffi; or the narrative emerging from a 1990s crime on the Abruzzo Apennines, as depicted in Donatella Di Pietrantonio’s latest novel, L’età fragile. A discussion on the intricate threads of history and that extraordinary time machine - writing - that often allows us to uncover them.