Ilaria Palomba (b. 1987) is one of the most compelling contemporary Italian novelists, essayists, and poets, renowned for her psychological depth and uncompromising introspection. Born in Puglia, she graduated in Philosophy from the University of Bari before pursuing research in the Sociology of the Imaginary at the Center for Research on the Present and Daily Life (CeaQ) at the Sorbonne, Paris. Her academic foundation is further bolstered by a Master’s degree in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis from the Institute of Philosophy and Psychoanalysis in Rome, providing her work with a unique resonance between existentialism and depth psychology.
Palomba’s professional career is marked by her significant influence on the Italian literary scene as the founder of the blog Suite italiana and a contributor to prestigious journals such as Minima et Moralia and Nuovi Argomenti. She has received numerous accolades, including the Carver Prize (2015) for her novel Homo homini virus and the Special Virginia Woolf Award at the Nabokov Prize (2023). Her writing frequently explores the boundaries of the human psyche, trauma, and the quest for identity in a fragmented world, with her stories translated into English, French, and German.
Within the Iztok-Zapad Publishing House catalog, Ilaria Palomba is represented by works that challenge the reader to reflect on the core of human existence:
- "Vuoto" (Emptiness/Void) – A visionary and philosophical novel that dissects the protagonist's psyche on the border between dream and reality, exploring pain, memory, and the possibility of redemption;
- "Homo homini virus" – An award-winning exploration of modern social and personal pathologies, delivered with sharp and uncompromising prose;
- Poetic and Essayistic Contributions – Her presence in contemporary Italian literature establishes her as a "poet of the deep," whose writing dissects reality with the precision of a scalpel.
Currently residing in Rome, Ilaria Palomba continues to work as a creative writing instructor and a literary therapist, steadfast in her belief that writing is a fundamental tool for making peace with one's inner darkness and transforming pain into art.
