Biography of Igiaba Scego

Igiaba Scego is born in Rome. After graduating in “Foreign Literature” at the La Sapienza University in Rome, she obtained her doctorate in pedagogy at the Third University of Rome. At present, she is writing and doing research on the dialogue between cultures and the question of migration.

She collaborates with many magazines that deal with migrant literature, in particular Carta, El-Ghibli and Migra. Her works, not devoid of autobiographical references, are characterized by the delicate balance between her two cultural realities, the Italian and Somalian. Her definition of herself, “Somalian origin, Italian vocation”, returns significantly this doubleness. In 2003, she won the Eks & Tra prize for migrant writers with her story “Salsicce”, and published her debut novel, La nomade che amava Alfred Hitchcock. In 2006 she attended the Literature festival in Mantua. She collaborates with the newspapers La Repubblica and Il manifesto and also writes for the magazine Nigrizia with a column of news and reflection, “The colors of Eve”. In 2007 along with Ingy Mubiayi, she edited the short story collection Quando nasci è una roulette. Giovani figli di migranti si raccontano. It follows the story of seven boys and girls of African origin, who were born in Rome of foreign parents or came to Italy when young: the story of their schooling, their relationship with family and with peers, religion, racism in Italy, and their dreams.

Bibliography

• La nomade che amava Alfred Hitchcock, Rome: Edizioni Sinnos, 2003.
• Rhoda, Rome: Edizioni Sinnos, 2004.
• Pecore nere. Racconti with Gabriela Kuruvilla, Ingy Mubiayi, Laila Wadia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2005.
• Quando nasci è una roulette. Giovani figli di migranti si raccontano, Edizioni Terre di Mezzo, 2007.
• Amori Bicolori. Racconti, Roma, edizioni Laterza, 2007.
• Oltre Babilonia, Donzelli editore, 2008.
• L’albero in Nessuna Pietà, Salani editore, 2009.
• La mia casa è dove sono, Rizzoli, 2010. Libro autobiografico che descrive una famiglia dispersa tra Somalia, Gran Bretagna e Italia.
• Roma Negata, coautrice con Rino Bianchi. Ediesse, 2014.
• Adua, Giunti 2015.