The Postwoman

The debut novel of young Italian writer Francesca Giannone, which became a literary sensation in Italy – over 580,000 copies have been sold, and the rights for publication have been sold to 37 countries. The novel is based on the story of the author's great-grandmother and tells the life of Anna – a young woman from northern Italy who moved with her family to the south of the country, to her husband's homeland, in 1934. Becoming the first female postman in Lizzanello, Anna challenges the patriarchal norms of society. For over 20 years, first on foot and then by bicycle, she delivers important correspondence to the residents – letters from soldiers at the front, postcards from those who have forever left Italy, and messages from secret lovers. Anna reads letters to the illiterate and even teaches them to read and write. Unbeknownst to herself, the brave "outsider" from the north will change much in the southern town and seriously influence the status of women there.