Graziella 'Lalla' Romano (1906-2001) was an Italian novelist, poet, translator and visual artist. Initially more interested in painting, from the 1940s Romano turned increasingly to writing, publishing her first poetry collection in 1941. During World War II she returned to her home province of Cuneo and became involved with the partisans. Her first novel, Maria, was published in 1951, and she went on to become one of Italy's most renowned writers, earning the Pavese Prize and the Strega Prize before her death at the age of 94.

Brian Robert Moore is a literary translator originally from New York City. His published and forthcoming translations include Meeting in Positano by Goliarda Sapienza, A Silence Shared by Lalla Romano, and two works of fiction by Michele Mari. He received the 2021 PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature and a 2022 Translation Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.