Mary Melfi

Melfi was born in Casacalenda, a small mountain town in the province of Campobasso, (Molise), south of Rome in 1951. At the age of six,[1] she immigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec where she attended the local English schools. She received a B.A. in English Literature from Concordia University[1] and a Masters of Library Science from McGill University. Since completing her studies in 1977 she has published over a dozen books of critically acclaimed poetry and prose. Her first novel, Infertility Rites, was published by Guernica Editions in 1991; it was later translated into French and Italian. In 1994 Doubleday Canada published her children's fantasy book: Ubu, the Witch Who Would be Rich. Also a playwright, Mary Melfi's works for the theater have been workshopped in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Noted for her black humour, wry wit and imaginative style critics have suggested that this author manages "not only to make us laugh, but also think." The Concise Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature observes that "her writings are characterized by an avant-garde sensibility that transgresses the conventions of a given literary form (whether it is poetry, drama or fiction)…. Melfi is interested in the metaphysical side of human existence, the difficulties of establishing a coherent feminine identity, cultural dislocation, and the artist’s attempt to create a new reality."[2] In-depth reviews of her writings can be found in William Anselmi's book: Mary Melfi, Essays on her Work (Guernica Editions, 2007). Melfi's account of peasant life in Southern Italy during the 1930s entitled Italy Revisited: Conversations with my Mother was published in 2009 by Guernica Editions. To complement the book, Melfi has created a website in which she has compiled thousands of photos of peasant life in turn of the century Italy ().

Mary Melfi presently lives in Montreal. She lived with her husband until his death in 2009.[3]

• Italy Revisited