Mario Valentini was born in Messina in 1971. He hasn't lived here since he was eighteen when he went to Bologna and then Palermo. His stories have been published in "Il Semplice" (an Almanac of prose- Feltrinelli) and "Fernandel". His piece "Modesta proposta di Riforma Scolastica" (A modest proposal for educational reform - ed.) has appeared in a recent edition of "Il caffè illustrato", and he is currently working on a study of the life of Jesus, somewhat like a New Testament Apocrypha or maybe just an apocryphal writing. He has also written a whole book, Voglia di lavorare poca (No heed on work - ed.) which was published by Portofranco.