Paola Musa is a novelist, poet and songwriter who was born in Sardinia. She studied modern languages (German and English) at La Sapienza University, Rome, where she now lives. She has published two novels: Condominio occidentale [Eastern Condominium], 2008 and Il terzo corpo dell’amore [The Third Body of Love], 2009, both from Salerno Editrice, Rome. Condominio occidentale won the prize for Italian first novels at the 2009 Festival du premier Roman Chambery, France. As a librettist, she wrote lyrics for the musical Datemi tre caravelle [Give me three sailing ships], based on the story of Christopher Columbus, with music by Stefano di Battista. In 2005-2006, this play was performed, with lead actor Alessandro Preziosi, in the Taormina Amphitheatre, Sicily, at the Sistina Theatre, Rome, and at major theatres in Milan, Pescara and Naples. Paola Musa also writes song-lyrics in collaboration with musicians and composers. A selection of her poems entitled Lo stato delle cose [The state of things] was included in a prize-winning selection, edited by Elisabetta Sgarbi, for Arpanet Editrice, Milan, 2005. She won the 2006 Renata Canepa Prize with her poem ‘L’angelo sterminatore’ (The Exterminating Angel). She has published her own poems and translations of Richard Berengarten’s work in several magazines, including Chorus (Genoa) and on the web. She is now working on a long poem entitled Anse di memoria [Loops of Memory] about her Sardinian roots. Website: http://www.paolamusa.info/index.php
