Goliarda Sapienza (1924–1996) was born in Catania, Sicily, in 1924, into an anarchist socialist family. At sixteen, she entered the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome and worked under the direction of Luchino Visconti, Alessandro Blasetti and Francesco Maselli. She is the author of several novels published during her lifetime: Lettera Aperta (1967), Il Filo Di Mezzogiorno (1969), Università di Rebibbia (1983) and Le Certezze Del Dubbio (1987). L'Arte Della Gioia is considered her masterpiece.
