The Forbidden Notebook

Published in the early 1950s, "The Forbidden Notebook" is considered a masterpiece of 20th-century Italian literature, a magnificent attempt at liberating and freeing writing. What are prohibitions? Are they not the frames that we impose on ourselves? Valeria is an ordinary woman. She has two rapidly growing children, an inattentive husband, and a boring office job. Life goes on as usual, without any strong emotions. But one day, Valeria, overwhelmed by a surge that seems unreasonable and inexplicable, buys a thick notebook and begins to record the smallest facts and reflections. Her diary is immediately filled with hidden family conflicts, repressed grievances, and unfulfilled aspirations. The desire to understand herself leads to the breaking of internal prohibitions and the necessity to radically change her life.