Stefania Auci

Born in Trapani, Auci studied at the liceo classico and graduated in law at the University of Palermo.^[1] After working at the Florence courthouse as a court clerk, she moved back to Palermo, where she works as a special-needs teacher.^[1][2] After several short stories, she made her novel debut in 2015 with Florence.^[3]

Auci had her breakout in 2019 with The Florios of Sicily (Italian: I leoni di Sicilia), an historical novel about the Florio family, which after having been rejected by two publishers was a surprise best seller, selling over one million copies and being released in 35 countries.^[1] In 2021, she released a sequel, The Triumph of the Lions (Italian: L'inverno dei leoni), which won the Premio Bancarella.^[4]

A streaming series adaption of the novel, titled The Lions of Sicily, was announced in 2022; produced by Disney+ and directed by Paolo Genovese, it stars Michele Riondino, Miriam Leone, Donatella Finocchiaro and Vinicio Marchioni.^[5][6]