Sandro Veronesi became internationally renowned for such brilliant novels as Quiet Chaos, XY and The Hummingbird. With his new book, he shows that he has lost none of his storytelling powers. Ruth Joos, a great lover of his work, joins him in a conversation.

veronesi characters

Veronesi’s latest novel is set in the summer of 1972. Twelve-year-old Gigio Bellandi discovers music, books and love, but his innocent life on the beautiful northwest coast of Tuscany is disrupted by a tragic event. Victims and perpetrators move in and out of Gigio’s orbit like unforgettable Veronesi characters: his newt father, his lioness mother, his brave sister, and the two people directly responsible for his sudden awakening: his mysterious uncle Giotti and Astel Raimondi, the girl with braids as ‘black as black onyx’, who leaves an indelible mark on his heart.

battling ghosts with language

Half a century later, Gigio reflects on his life. In Settembre nero, Veronesi writes as only he can about the power and loss of love, and the ability to overcome grief and move on. But Settembre nero is also a novel about the evocative power of words and the seductive, life-saving power of language.

about the author

Sandro Veronesi (b. 1959) became an international favourite and bestselling author with novels such as The Force of the Past, Quiet Chaos, and The Hummingbird. Over the years, he has won several major awards. He is one of only two writers to have twice won the Premio Strega, Italy’s most prestigious literary prize.

about the interviewer

Ruth Joos is a journalist at VRT. She has presented various culture and news programmes (Mecca, Mezzo, Joos, De Wereld Vandaag) on the radio and, together with Wilfried de Jong, created the book programme Brommer op zee for Canvas and VPRO. In 2007 and 2008, she chaired the Gouden Uil Literature Prize. She currently presents the show De ochtend on Radio 1. She writes and conducts interviews on literature for newspapers, magazines and cultural centres in Flanders and the Netherlands.