PAOLA CARONNI was born in Italy and has been living in Asia for over twenty years. Now in Hong Kong, she works as a translator, interpreter and tutor of the Italian language, and teaches Creative Writing to a group of asylum-seekers. Paola holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Hong Kong and an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Milan.

Paola is Director of the English edition of the online lifestyle, travel  and culture magazine, Ciao Magazine.

Her poems have been published in the various anthologies and online literary journals and she is very active in the local Hong Kong poetry scene. A main theme in Paola’s poetry is her exploration of the struggle she experiences as one coming from the West but belonging to the East.

The above brief biography was provided by the writer at the time of publication.

Paola Caronni was one of two winners of the Proverse Prize 2020 with her first poetry collection, Uncharted Waters.

In brief, Caonni's topics include observations of life, from East to West: the transformation of Hong Kong over the years; the beauties and troubles of Asia and of other countries; the re-visitation of Italy, her homeland, after many years of living abroad. Also vivid descriptions of the many facets of everyday life, including love, friendship, motherhood and writing.

COMMENTS

“Clear-eyed, smart, completely alert...the speaker of Paola Caronni’s poems covers life on earth in full—her words fulfill our need to travel, to explore, perceive in new ways.”

―Donald Berger, Johns Hopkins University, USA.

“In the midst of these lyrics, one breathes the tension to reach the perfect synthesis of East and West.”

―Gabriella Montanari, poet, writer, publisher, and translator. 

“Caronni’s poems have the power to connect, to nourish and to sustain.”―Juan José Morales, author and editor, Hong Kong.
“Uncharted Waters dares to offer us a still too rare commodity in our contemporary and overlapping worlds, generosity.”

―Page Richards, University of Hong Kong.

“An intelligent, intimate account of cultural pilgrimage.”

―Jennifer Wong, poetry reviewer for Asian Review of Books.

AVAILABILITY

Amazon kdp (i.e. POD) link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9888492411?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Direct link for purchasing copies from the Hong Kong print-run as distributed by the Chinese University of Hong Kong Press: https://cup.cuhk.edu.hk/Proversehk?product_id=4331

Direct link to the amazon kindle ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LRXHTD4