Mariangela Cerrino

December 1, 1948

Mariangela Cerrino was born in Turin; when still very young, she started studying American history at the Centre for American Studies of Turin and her first novel, set at the time of the American revolution, was published by Sonzogno of Milan when she was only seventeen. From 1966 to 1973, this publishing house brought out fourteen of her novels, with covers designed by G. Crepax. Later she passed to Frontiera Edizioni of Bologna, that published another five novels of hers set in the epic period of American history, as well as reprinting some titles already brought out by Sonzogno. Ms. Cerrino, who wrote under the name of May Ionnes Cherry, could count on a large and faithful reading public in this genre. At the beginning of the Eighties, she started to write science fiction and fantasy novels, in a search for a new narrative style, free from the rigid pattern imposed by the historical reconstruction she was tied to her first books, which, however, remains her favourite form. Her first work, a short story called "Passaggio ad Eridani" was immediately bought by RAI for the programme Alba del Domani; in this way she became a figure of growing importance in the world of Italian science fiction. In 1983 she won the Ppremio Italia for the short story "Il Segreto di Mavi-Su" and she published her first novels in the magazine Pulp of Turin. Her stories were also published in Omni, in Futura of Peruzzi Editore, in the Millemondi Mondadori Collection, in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction of Fanucci, and in Solaris, as well as in newspapers and weekly magazines. In 1989, she published her most important science fiction novel, "L’Ultima Terra Oscura" (Nord, Milan), that won the Premio Italia of that year. However, in 1990, she turned again to historical research, blending it with her lifelong passionate interest for archaeology: from this came the book "I cieli Dimenticati", the first hardcover volume of a trilogy dedicated to the Etruscans, published in 1992 by Longanesi of Milan, that won the Premio Italia as best novel of the year. The second volume of the Etruscan cycle, "La Via degli Dei", was published by Longanesi in 1993, and the last volume of the trilogy, "La Porta sulla Notte", Longanesi, was brought out in June 1995, and again won the Premio Italia that year. The complete cycle, printed in a single volume of approximately one thousand pages, was published in Germany in October 1996 by the publishing house Kruger-Fischer of Frankfurt, and achieved a considerable succes of circulation and sales. It was the first time an Italian author of historical-fantasy novels had had such a success in a market specialized in this genre, as is the german one. In October 1998, the same publisher brought out a paperback edition, and another one was published by Bechtermunz Verlag in 2000. The fourth edition was published in June 2005. In 1998, the Trilogy was presented in a new version in the cycle "Rasna - La Saga del Popolo Etrusco", Edizioni TEA, Milan. This new version that lightened the narration, giving it spontaneity, enhanced the history of a people ignored until recently, describing with absolute accuracy the historical setting and offering a the same time a lively and colourful picture, in tune with the renewed interest of the readers for the historical novel. Ms. Cerrino, who had always been keenly interested in history and ancient cultures, and active in the discovery of the past, of the tradition and the language of her own region (Piedmont, Savoy and Dauphiné), then devoted herself to a project she had cultivated for a long time. The result of this are IL SEGNO DEL DRAGO and IL SEGRETO DELL'ALCHIMISTA, the first two of a series of four novels set in the heart of Europe of the year one thousand. They are novels with a historical background, that mix various genres: adventure, intrigue and a vein of fantasy. Both were published in Germany by Blanvalet Verlag, Random House Verlagsgruppe. The first one, Das Drachenmal, in June 2002; the other, Die Kunst des Alchimisten in December 2002. In year 2008 was published LISIDRANDA, a fantasy trilogy (L'ALBERO DEL MONDO, LE TERRE DELL'ANIMA, LA COPPA DELLA VITA) by ARMENIA EDIZIONI, Milan. In the same year was reprinted LE STORIE DELL'EPOCA MU by MONDADORI, Milan. The whole Midle Age's project - the novels IL SEGNO DEL DRAGO, IL SEGRETO DELL'ALCHIMISTA, IL CUSTODE DELL'ARCOBALENO AND IL CALICE SPEZZATO – was published in spring 2010 by SUSALIBRI EDITRICE in a very accurate edition with covers by Angela Betta Casale, a very quoted painter. For ALACRÁN EDIZIONI was published, also in spring 2010, IL MARGINE DELL'ALBA, historical novel. Mariangela Cerrino lives in the country near Turin, with her beautiful cat named Tamasine.