#20 Plotki, kobiety i śmierć. Historia małego miasta | „Ci, którzy mówią. Ci, którzy milczą” Valerio

Can you write a crime novel without a detective? And can the death of one person reveal the secrets of an entire community? In the latest episode of the podcast "New Stories. Conversations about Books," Dr. Artur Madaliński and Jarosław Makowski discuss Chiara Valerio's novel "Those Who Speak. Those Who Silence" (Bo.wiem / Wydawnictwo UJ)—one of the most compelling contemporary Italian books about freedom, mystery, and female independence. The novel takes place in a small town in southern Italy. The mysterious death of a resident triggers a flurry of rumors, speculation, and memories. The narrative gradually reveals fragments of the life of a woman who lived differently from others: independently, outside convention, and beyond social expectations. Chiara Valerio uses the structure of a detective novel, but instead of a classic investigation, we get a story told through gossip, half-words, and understatements. This is dense, precise literature, full of tension between the individual and the community. We discuss, among other things: crime fiction without a detective, female emancipation, "witches," and living on one's own terms, the relationship between an individual and a small community, gossip, silence, and the mechanisms of small villages and towns, the Italian countryside as a literary heroine, social classes and privilege in literature, the dense, mathematically precise style of Chiara Valerio, whether literature can tell the story of the world as we want it to be. The conversation also touches on other important books about southern Italy, including "The Cheetah" by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, the novels of Leonardo Sciascia, and the "My Brilliant Friend" series by Elena Ferrante. This episode is about literature that doesn't offer simple answers. It's about a book that raises questions rather than resolves them—and that's why it stays with the reader for a long time. If you're interested in: ✔ Italian literature and contemporary European novels ✔ books about women, freedom, and emancipation ✔ crime novels and literary narrative experiments ✔ conversations about books, philosophy, and culture This episode is for you. 🎧 SUBSCRIBE to the channel if you're interested in conversations about books, literature, and ideas. 📚 Chiara Valerio - "Those Who Speak. Those Who Are Silent" 🎙 Podcast: "New Stories. Conversations About Books" 👥 Hosted by: Dr. Artur Madaliński and Jarosław Makowski #podcastbooks #italianliterature #booktube #newstories #chiaravalerio #books #literature #literarypodcast