The book Italy was too scared to publish — meet the woman who wrote it anyway.
Between 1967 and 1976, Italian writer Goliarda Sapienza (1924-76) wrote The Art of Joy, a subversive novel about the dazzling social ascent of a rebellious heroine; too scandalous to be published at that contradictory time.
Writing
Sapienza's prose read aloud — absolutely electrifying.
Direction
Martin weaves archive and analysis with elegant restraint.
Director
Coralie Martin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sapienza was also a celebrated actress before turning to prose; her theatrical training shaped her dramatic, voice-driven writing.
The novel's 700+ pages of polymorphous desire made it unpublishable under Italy's moralistic post-war censorship. It finally appeared in France first, then Italy decades later.
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