Giuseppe Catozzella was born in Milan in 1976. His novel-essay Alveare was made into a TV movie, L’assalto, produced by Rai Fiction. His novel Non dirmi che hai paura won the Premio Strega Giovani, and was shortlisted for the Premio Strega and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. This longseller has sold nearly 800,000 copies worldwide, and has been translated in over thirty countries. The international film Samia, based on the novel, received a special mention in the Best International Narrative Competition of Tribeca Festival. He published Italiana (Mondadori, 2021) and The flower of illusions (Feltrinelli, 2024). He taught Italian literature and creative writing at the University of Miami and Seton Hall University in New York. He is a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.