author
1833–1903
An Italian novelist and short-story writer who turned a largely self-taught education into a long, steady literary career. Best known for popular fiction with a moral tone, she published widely and kept writing for decades.
by Tommasina Guidi
Born Cristina Tommasa Maria Guidicini on March 8, 1835, she wrote under the name Tommasina Guidi and also used the pen names Cristina Tabellini and Edoardo De Albertis. She grew up in modest circumstances near Bologna, lost her father very early, and later continued her education largely on her own before studying with Salvatore Muzzi.
Her literary debut came in 1877 with Memorie d'una zia, published in the Giornale delle Donne of Turin. She went on to contribute to that magazine throughout her life and published more than 60 works, including novels and short fiction, often described as sentimental stories and morally focused tales.
She married Paolo Tabellini and had several children. After a life marked by both hardship and persistence, she died in Bologna on November 19, 1903.