Claudia Durastanti was born in Brooklyn in 1984. Her Italian parents immigrated in the 1960s. After her parents separated, she moved with her mother to a remote village in the Basilicata region of Italy. Durastanti studied cultural anthropology at La Sapienza University in Rome, continued her studies at De Montfort University in Leicester, and returned to Rome for a master's degree in publishing and journalism. As an editor, she worked for the Turin Book Fair and co-founded the Italian Festival of Literature in London. She was a fellow in literary studies at the American Academy in Rome. Durastanti writes for “La Repubblica” and “Internazionale”. She has received numerous prizes and awards. She also translates from English. La straniera (The Stranger) was shortlisted for the Premio Strega, was her most successful novel, and has been translated into numerous languages.
