Melissa Panarello (Catania, 1985) made her literary debut as a teenager in 2003 with the novel One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed (Bompiani), which quickly became a worldwide bestseller, selling three million copies in 42 countries. The book was adapted into the film Melissa P., directed by Luca Guadagnino. Her other novels include Tre (Einaudi Stile Libero) and Il primo dolore (La Nave di Teseo), as well as the biography Lisa Morpurgo: La signora delle stelle (Giulio Perrone Editore). Her latest novel, Storia dei miei soldi, was published by Bompiani in 2024 and was shortlisted for the Premio Strega, one of Italy’s most prestigious literary prizes.