Chiara Centioni's novel 'Cara Vali' traces the life of Australian artist Vali Myers

Chiara Centioni's novel 'Cara Vali' (Castelvecchi) recounts the story of Vali Myers (1930–2003), an Australian dancer and painter known as the 'Strega di Positano'. The book interweaves Centioni's personal journey with Myers' life through an imaginary epistolary exchange. Centioni, an architect, actress, and director, first encountered Myers while studying a Tennessee Williams character inspired by her. She traveled to Positano, Amsterdam, New York, Paris, Melbourne, and Noosa to trace Myers' footsteps. Myers, exiled from Paris, was a muse to Ed van der Elsken and Tennessee Williams, and later lived in a Moorish ruin in Positano surrounded by animals. Her art, compared by herself to Frida Kahlo's, features animals, self-portraits, and mythological themes. Despite lacking gallery representation, she sold works to collectors like Mick Jagger. The Vali Myers Art Trust donated her works to the State Library Victoria. Centioni's film project about Myers has been postponed in favor of a documentary co-produced by Fireglory Pictures, Mad Entertainment, Leocadia, and Thousand Mile Productions.