''Princesa'' (1994) is the

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English p ...

Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque (1963 – 13 May 2000), was a Brazilian trans woman (Travesti (gender identity), travesti) and author. She is best known for her autobiography ''Princesa'' (Princess), which is a name she sometimes used as a pseudony ...

, a Brazilian

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may Gender transitioning, transition; this process commonly includes Feminizing horm ...

(

travesti Travesti may refer to: * Travesti (gender identity), a transgender identity in South America * Travesti (theatre) ''Travesti'' is a theatrical term referring to the portrayal of a character in an opera, play, or ballet by a performer of the o ...

) detained in Rome's

Rebibbia Rebibbia is an urban zone of Rome, Italy. It was located on the road Via Tiburtina on the north-east edge of the city. Administratively Rebibbia is part of both Ponte Mammolo quarter of Rome and Municipio IV of Rome. The suburb, first developed ...

prison. It was written with the help of the Italian director and journalist , a promoter of literary projects among the prisoners. Jannelli was a former member of the

Red Brigades The Red Brigades ( it, Brigate Rosse , often abbreviated BR) was a far-left Marxist–Leninist armed organization operating as a terrorist and guerrilla group based in Italy responsible for numerous violent incidents, including the abduction ...

militant group who was also detained in the same prison.

Initial publication

De Albuquerque wrote ''Princesa'', with Jannelli translating de Albuquerque's Sardinian-street Italian text into standard Italian. The book discusses the violence which was inflicted on

transvestite Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western ...

and transgender streetwalkers, both from the police and

vigilantes Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

(the latter including murders of her colleagues). She also discusses her

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhal ...

and

alcohol addiction Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predominan ...

while in São Paulo. In 1994, the book was published by ''

Sensibili alle foglie Sensibili alle foglie () is a publishing co-operative. The group was founded by Renato Curcio in 1990, after meeting with Stefano Petrelli and in prison. All three men were imprisoned members of the Red Brigades militant group (Curcio was the lea ...

'', a publishing co-operative of

Renato Curcio Renato Curcio (; born 23 September 1941) is the former leader of the Italian far-left organization, the Red Brigades (''Brigate Rosse''). Early life Born of an extramarital affair between Renato Zampa (brother of film director Luigi Zampa) and J ...

, a former member of the Red Brigades. The presentation of her books at the and the presence of Curcio at the festival was opposed by the relatives of those killed by the Red Brigades – one of whom shouted "''assassino!''" (murderer/assassin) to Curcio's face – which led to de Albuquerque not attending the festival.

Later publications and legacy

The book was re-published by and and subsequently translated into Portuguese,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. The novel also inspired the song of the same name by

Fabrizio De André Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent '' cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...

(''Princesa'') in his final album ''

Anime salve ''Anime salve'' is the final album released by Italian singer/songwriter Fabrizio De André in 1996. It was written together with fellow Genoan Ivano Fossati. In a 2011 interview within the DVD documentary series ''Dentro Faber'' .e. ''Inside ...

'' (1996) written with

Ivano Fossati Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley Ba ...

. The novel inspired the 2001 film ''

Princesa Princesa may refer to: * Spanish ship ''Princesa'', various Spanish Navy ships * Princesa Oliveros (born 1975), Colombian track and field hurdler * Princesa, Santa Catarina, a municipality of Brazil * ''Princesa'' (film), a 2001 film directed b ...

''.

References

{{reflist 1994 novels 1994 Brazilian novels 1994 Italian novels Transgender autobiographies 1990s LGBT novels Brazilian autobiographical novels