Matilde Waltzing

Matilde Manin leaves behind her Old World to discover a New World at a time when the whole world is being changed by Depression and War. From her childhood in Northern Italy to her death in Melbourne, Matilde's off-key life unravels in ways which echo the unsettling hagiography of the bizarre Saint Barbara. This is an astonishing, entertaining and moving story. Moments of magical realism break the boundaries of conventional fiction. Narrative voices include Remo the mythical co-founder of Rome and the Scottish Terrier whose cameo is the map of Australia.

"There have been countless books on the migrant experience, but few recall this rite of passage with such wit and daring... Part of the book's charm is its disarming and bold narrative style... Verdict: Involving read. You'll enjoy waltzing this Matilde."
- The Sunday Herald Sun and The Sunday Telegraph, Australia

"Matilde's isolation in her widowhood is heart-wrenching; the moments of joy are good enough to sing about - or waltz?"
- The Bulletin, with Newsweek

"Valmorbida is a clever and imaginative writer, able to spin out visions like an Italian saint herself."
- The Australian Way

"Valmorbida writes with energy and challenges the conventionality of what language can achieve... engaging, often funny, sometimes poignant... "
- The Canberra Times

"Words in this text are quartz-like objects that contain miniature worlds folded within... This is a miraculous work: iconoclastic, compassionate and brilliantly witty."
- Rosi Braidotti

"A strange and ultimately seductive tale charting one woman's emigration from Italy to Australia during the rise of fascism. Its fragmented narrative explores the sense of alienation experienced as a stranger in a strange land, as migrant, as other."
- Anita Roddick


Genre: Historical