Friends by the Low Wall - Interview by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Friends by the Low Wall

 

Interview with Author Giovanna Distefano

 

by Maria Teresa De Donato

Dearest friends,

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting my friend and fellow author Giovanna Distefano—Sicilian by birth and Lombard by adoption. Over the years, Giovanna has kept herself quite busy with numerous activities.

However, let’s let her tell us about herself, her life, and her passions.

 

MTDD: Hello, Giovanna, and welcome to my Blog and Virtual Cultural Salon. It is a pleasure to have you as my guest.

GD: Thank you; it is a pleasure to be your guest and to talk about myself and my book, which was released last November by the publishing house Atile Edizioni. It is a novel about gender-based violence. It is the second book I’ve written—the first was autobiographical—and the third is coming out next year; that one is a collection of fairy tales. I am also currently writing a new book about the adventures of a family traveling the world and living in group homes.

MTDD: Giovanna, why don’t you start by telling us a bit about yourself?

I mentioned a few things in the introduction, but I’d love for you to elaborate on them.

GD: I was born in Ragusa in 1956. In the 1970s, I moved to Milan with my family; I got married in 1978, and we didn’t have children. Since 1992, I have lived in Segrate (near Milan), though I spend the summer months in my hometown of Ragusa. I started working at fourteen, holding various roles—apprentice factory worker, shop assistant, and office clerk—at different private companies in Milan. For the last fifteen years, I cared for my mother, who was no longer self-sufficient, and looked after my nieces and nephews when they came home from school for lunch and homework help. I love reading, writing, acting, traveling, and walking. During and after the COVID-19 period, I wrote one hundred and thirty short stories and twenty poems—which were included in anthologies by various publishing houses—and received awards, participated in events, and earned recognition in the form of medals, plaques, and trophies in Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Naples, Tivoli, Melfi, Taggia (Savona), and Santa Croce Camerina (Ragusa). I have taken part in numerous poetry and prose readings across Italy, collaborating with literary organizations alongside art exhibitions and musical performances. It is a way to collaborate with painters and musicians while catching the attention of passersby, as we act as street artists. I love the theater and anything creative, interesting, and capable of stimulating curiosity.

 

MTDD: Your biography reveals empathy and altruism—qualities that do you great credit and have, over the years, led you to provide significant support not only to your family but also to the community through volunteer work.

Could you elaborate and explain to our readers how this has helped others while simultaneously enriching you on a personal and spiritual level?

GD: I am retired and active in volunteer work: I tutor elementary school children who come to the parish center, helping them fill any gaps in their learning or assisting those who are victims of bullying and, as a result, refuse to study. As a charitable activity, I work with Caritas to help distribute food, clothing, household goods, toys, and books; I also assist in distributing gifts when we set up Christmas and Easter stalls. I also teach Italian to foreign adults, issuing a Caritas certificate that attests to their language proficiency (a document required by the government for residency in Italy). This has been deeply enriching for me, as the children adore me and the adults appreciate the instruction I provide free of charge. The Oratory makes its facilities available, and we stage performances in the theater hall to entertain and bring joy to the local community. I am part of an acting group, and we prepare our material together—always within the parish premises.

MTDD: I know that in recent years you have been very active in presenting emerging authors and reading excerpts from their books online.

What made you decide to get involved in this area, and what do you particularly enjoy about it?

GD: Over the last few years, I’ve presented around fifty emerging authors—both in libraries and online via Facebook cultural groups, YouTube, and Instagram. I volunteer my time on three literary channels where I showcase books by emerging authors, and I also collaborate on and read for various cultural programs. I absolutely love doing this: it allows me to grow culturally, get to know emerging authors better, travel to literary competitions, have new experiences, and discover places I’ve never visited before.

 

MTDD: How did you come to write and publish Gli amici del muretto [Friends by the Low Wall], a book that takes me back to the legendary 1970s? Could you tell us a bit about it?

GD: My book isn’t autobiographical, though I did spend my own teenage years in the seventies. I describe the curiosity and creativity of that era, as well as the progress made across various fields. It’s the story of ten characters who gather at this spot to laugh, joke, confide in one another, and fall in love. They dream of a future that doesn’t come true for everyone, and the survivors eventually reunite fifty years later, accompanied by their loved ones. I wrote this book because it’s important not to ignore others’ advice or let yourself be taken in by unscrupulous people. I used fictional names to protect privacy and kept the locations vague, as these kinds of events can happen anywhere in the world. It touches on social issues we hear about every day—issues that should bring people together through shared experience.

MTDD: What does your book offer to those who lived through those years as teenagers or young adults, as well as to the younger generations who never experienced that time?

GD: I think it offers a great deal because it presents real-life experiences lived by ten protagonists. In a way, we can all see ourselves reflected in my novel. It deals with various forms of gender-based violence—ranging from men’s violence against women to women’s violence against men, as well as violence within families, among female colleagues, or between romantic partners. Marika is the victim of a tragic romantic obsession; Dina lives a life defined by scams and revenge. Laura struggles with work-related difficulties, while Sara is a solitary, troubled woman. Marilena’s life is marked by suffering caused by her family’s selfishness, and Massimiliano experiences a platonic love that never comes to fruition. Nadia battles eating disorders; Pierfrancesco loves travel, adventure, and anarchy; Benedetto faces family hardships with dignity; and finally, Marianna experiences a deep, enduring love, albeit one complicated by obstacles involving her in-laws. It is a celebration of friendship, resilience, and the ability to face life’s challenges. To the younger generations, who enjoy far more freedom than we did, I would advise caution; it is easy to get ensnared by unscrupulous people, yet extremely difficult to break free. Reading my novel is important so that one does not underestimate these risks or repeat the same mistakes.

MTDD: Where can we purchase your book, and how can potential readers contact you or follow your activities?

GD: They can do so via the following channels: giannadistefano2@gmail.com, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Amazon, Mondadori, Feltrinelli, Atile, IBS, and Kindle, or by ordering the book through bookstores.

MTDD: Giovanna, thank you for taking part in this interview. I hope to have you as my guest again in the future.

GD: Thank you for the invitation, Maria Teresa. It will be a pleasure to visit you again.