The Little Cowardices

The celebrated Turin writer returns to Mondovì to present her latest literary work.

On Saturday the 4th, at the Centro studi monregalesi in Mondovì Piazza, the civic library of Mondovì presents the latest book published by Margherita Oggero, titled Le piccole viltà (Einaudi, 2026).

The event is part of the “Discovering a Book” series.

Enzo Errani will be in conversation with the author.

In this novel everyone is hiding something: a lie, an escape plan, a not-quite-legal activity, a sense of guilt, a lover, a cleaver wrapped in a sheet, a desire.

Through the story of Marianna and her somewhat crooked but vital family, Margherita Oggero unmasks the cowardly acts we commit for the sake of good, even when that good is mainly our own, and captures the transformation of her Turin, the country, and our feelings.

And we discover that one thing doesn’t change over time: we are made of the choices we don’t face, the words we don’t say, the compromises we train ourselves to make so we never feel entirely guilty, never truly innocent.

Margherita Oggero

She lives in Turin and has taught in almost every type of school.

She published her first novel, La collega tatuata, with Mondadori in 2002.

From this work, Luciana Littizzetto created the successful film Se devo essere sincera.

In 2003, also with Mondadori, Una piccola bestia ferita was released, which inspired the television series Provaci ancora, prof! with Veronica Pivetti.

She subsequently published L’amica americana (2005), Qualcosa da tenere per sé (2007), Orgoglio di classe (2008), Risveglio a Parigi (2009), L’ora di pietra (2011), Un colpo all’altezza del cuore (2012), La ragazza di fronte (2015, winner of the 2016 Bancarella Prize), La vita è un cicles (2018), and the short stories Il rosso attira lo sguardo (2008), all published by Mondadori.

For Einaudi she published Così parlò il nano da giardino in 2006, Il compito di un gatto di strada in 2009, and Non fa niente in 2017.