Who is Nathacha Appanah and why is she at Flip 2025?

Franco-Mauritian writer Nathacha Appanah appeared on the main stage of the 24th Festa Literária de Paraty (Flip) on Friday, July 25. She is one of the most prominent international guests at this edition of Brazil's most celebrated literary festival, chosen to broaden the event's geographic and cultural diversity.

What is her latest book about?

Her most recent work, Noite no coração (published in Brazil by Bazar do Tempo), follows the destinies of three women who experienced domestic violence. The book has been translated and published in more than 15 countries. Appanah described the novel as an attempt to break the silence around intimate violence, blending personal testimony, fiction and literary reflection.

Two of the three characters were real women murdered by their partners. The third is Appanah herself.