Claudia Durastanti's Strangers I Know is a fictionalized memoir exploring her life as a hearing daughter of two deaf parents in Southern Italy and Brooklyn. Its publication in English marked a significant milestone, highlighting growing international interest in contemporary Italian literature. The novel is set largely in Basilicata, a less-recognized region known for its desolation rather than charm. This uniqueness posed challenges for adaptation, as a major broadcaster found the Italian setting unfamiliar. The need to rewrite the pilot underscored ongoing struggles to present diverse Italian stories to global audiences.
Strangers I Know is a fictionalised memoir about growing up between rural southern Italy and Brooklyn, as the hearing daughter of two deaf parents.
The success of Strangers I Know was seen as a sign that international publishers were beginning to take interest in new Italian literature.
Basilicata offers little in terms of recognisable, picturesque Italianness, which Italian novels are often expected to provide to appeal to an international audience.
The Italian backdrop in Strangers I Know was deemed too unfamiliar by a broadcaster, leading to suggestions to set the story in Ireland instead.
Collection
[
|
...
]