Chiara Valerio

Chiara Valerio (born 3 March 1978) is an Italian author and essayist.

Early life and education Valerio was born in Scauri, in the province of Latina as part of the Lazio region, in 1978. Although she went on to live in Rome, she spent her childhood and youth in Scauri. She studied and later taught mathematics for many years. With a thesis about probability, Valerio obtained a PhD in mathematics at the University of Naples Federico II, and started working as editor. In October 2016, Valerio was named cultural director for Tempo di Libri, the newly created Milan book fair. Her pamphlet Matematica è politics was part of the five finalists for the 2021 Galileo Literary Prize for Scientific Dissemination. With Michela Murgia, she wrote the theatre show Phon – Istruzioni per l'uso, bringing it to the stage on 9 May 2022 at the Teatro Carcano in Milan. In 2023, Valerio worked as editor for the 22nd edition of the book fair Più libri più liberi, In 2024, she wrote Chi dice e chi tace, which was published by Sellerio Editore and nominated to the Premio Campiello.

Awards In 2004, Valerio won the Premio Carver Narrativa for A complicare le cose. In 2020, she won the Premio Mondello for Il cuore non si vede. In 2022, Valerio won the Premio The Bridge Narrativa for Così per sempre.

Works A complicare le cose, Rome, Robin, 2003. Fermati un minuto a salutare, Rome, Robin, 2007. Ognuno sta solo, Rome, Perrone, 2007. Nessuna scuola mi consola, Rome, Nottetempo, 2009. Spiaggia libera tutti, Rome/Bari, Laterza, 2010. La gioia piccola d'esser quasi salvi, Rome, Nottetempo 2009. Almanacco del giorno prima, Turin, Einaudi, 2014. Storia umana della matematica, Turin, Einaudi, 2016. Il cuore non si vede, Turin, Einaudi, 2019. La matematica è politica, Turin, Einaudi, 2020. Così per sempre, Turin, Einaudi, 2022. La tecnologia è religione, Turin, Einaudi, 2023. Chi dice e chi tace, Palermo, Sellerio, 2024. La fila alle poste, Palermo, Sellerio, 2025.

Translations and editorships Virginia Woolf, Flush, Rome, Nottetempo, 2012. Virginia Woolf, Freshwater, Rome, Nottetempo, 2013. Virginia Woolf, Tra un atto e l'altro, Rome, Nottetempo, 2015. Virginia Woolf and Lytton Strachey, Ti basta l'Atlantico? Lettere 1906-1931, Rome, Nottetempo, 2022, with Alessandro Giammei.