Rina Faccio, aka "Sibilla Aleramo" (1876-1960) was a feminist writer, poet, and journalist. In fact, she was one of the most important Italian authors of the early 20th century. She had a difficult youth which she recounts in the autobiographical novel "Una donna," marked by her mother's depression, her father's absence, and domestic violence. In her novels, short stories, and articles, Aleramo rejects the traditional role imposed on women and denounces their living conditions and participated in demonstrations for the right to vote and the fight against prostitution. In Milan, she wrote for the magazines "Vita Internazionale" and "Vita moderna" and edited the socialist newspaper "L'Italia femminile," collaborating with several progressive intellectuals.
After a painful divorce, she moved to Rome in 1902, where she hosted one of the city's most important literary salons for years. Among her various lovers, the first was the Italian writer Giovanni Cena, whom she met in Rome and with whom she was most likely one of Vernon Lee's guests for lunch at Il Palmerino in 1903.
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