De Mari, Silvana 1953–

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De Mari, Silvana 1953–

Personal

Born 1953, in Caserta, Italy.

Addresses

Home—Turin, Italy.

Career

Writer, novelist, psychotherapist, and physician. Psychotherapist in private practice. Worked as a surgeon in Italy and Ethiopia.

Awards, Honors

Best Children's Books of 2006, Kirkus Reviews, for The Last Dragon.

Writings

NOVELS

L'ultima stella a destra della luna, Salani, 2000.

The Last Dragon (published in Italian as L'ultimo orco), translated by Shaun Whiteside, Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 2004.

La bestia y la bella, Grupo Editorial Norma, 2005.

El ultimo elfo (title means "The Last Elf"), Grupo Editorial Norma, 2005.

Contributor of short stories to periodicals and magazines.

Sidelights

Silvana De Mari is a physician, psychotherapist, and surgeon who has worked in both Europe and Africa. De Mari is also the author of several novels, most with a lighthearted and heroic fantasy element. In The Last Dragon, kindhearted and gentle Yorsh is the last elf surviving in a harsh, cold, always rainy world where humans hate him simply because he is an elf. An encounter with a hot-tempered human woman, Sajra, turns out to be beneficial, however, as the woman's sympathy is aroused by the little elf's plight. The two decide to search for a drier, more comfortable place in which to live, and during their travels they meet a third companion, Monser, a hunter who joins their search. When they enter the human city of Daligar, they are captured and imprisoned. Facing death by hanging, they manage to escape, but not before Yorsh divines his destiny using an inscription on the wall that states that when the last dragon and last elf come together, the world will be saved. Inspired to begin a search for the last dragon, Yorsh and his companions take up the perilous quest. Meanwhile, in a concurrent story, the destiny of a young orphaned human girl develops and soon becomes intertwined in Yorsh's prophecy. Tragedy befalls the group of comrades, and Yorsh discovers that "prophecies are for people who don't want to control their own destiny," in the words of a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

De Mari "takes common fantasy elements and combines them in a unique way in this stirring, subtly post-apocalyptic fantasy," observed Anita L. Burkham in a Horn Book review of The Last Dragon. "At times hilarious, at times poignant, and always entertaining," the story of Yorsh's determined quest "will grip young fantasy fans," commented Booklist reviewer Sally Estes, and a contributor to Kirkus Reviews called the book a "wise, warmhearted fairytale." The story's "satisfying, poignant ending does not disappoint," remarked a Kliatt contributor. School Library Journal critic Sarah Couri concluded of The Last Dragon that "young fantasy fans will appreciate the many humorous touches and get caught up in this tale of strength and sacrifice."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 1, 2006, Sally Estes, review of The Last Dragon, p. 53.

Horn Book, November-December, 2006, Anita L. Burkam, review of The Last Dragon, p. 707; January-February, 2007, review of The Last Dragon, p. 12.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2006, review of The Last Dragon, p. 1012.

Kliatt, November, 2006, review of The Last Dragon, p. 8.

Publishers Weekly, December 18, 2006, review of The Last Dragon, p. 64.

School Library Journal, January 1, 2007, Sarah Couri, review of The Last Dragon, p. 126.