(For the Italian Version of the Blog) Recently I stumbled upon the name Hilary Belle Walker. Actually is was on Twitter where a friend wrote “Hilary Belle Walker manages to yank a smile from me, ok two, maybe three maybe four….” High praise indeed from my demanding friend! But, who is she I wondered? I had never heard of this woman before and I was feeling a little behind the times. In a situation like this, my first response is to dive into Google to get myself up to speed about unknown facts. How did I ever function with out Google?
So, what I found out about Hiliary Belle Walker is rather interesting. It seems that she lives in Milan and has just written a book in Italian called “Case Altrui” (Other People’s Houses) (Editor Cairo) – this is in fact the book that has my Italian friend in stiches! Clicking on more Google links I found a couple of funny videos written by this woman called : Hilary, Chic con 1000 Euro which deals with the life of a thirty-something woman living in Milan the most expensive city in Italy. Perhaps a self-portrait?
Great! Hilary is an Italian writer and a comedian…but no! Wait a sec! After reading a little bit more about Hilary I found out that she is an American, born in San Francisco who for the past 10 years has been living in Milan. Get out of town! I love this woman already and feel a sympathetic bond. She is a girl after my own heart; she also uses the Italian language to express herself in a creative and eccentric way even though her native language is English…and if I didn’t use a straightening iron my hair would look just like hers! Continuing with my stalking, ummmm I mean, continuing with my research I discovered that Hilary is a librarian, has a dog named Bart that
follows her like a shadow and has changed apartments six, seven or maybe eight times depending on which account you read. With her low salary she dwells in what she calls “Nouvell povertà“. But it seems to me she does it with style and finds ways of staying in Milan without ever exceeding her budget.
Now I want to know Ms Walker better, but think that I will need to wait to read her book “Case Altrui“. Infact, my dear Italian friend has promised to send me it when she has finished with it. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the crazy unique world of Hilary. So now I just am lacking this…I want to see more episodes of Hilary Chic con 1000 Euro…I only found two on YouTube, if anyone knows where to find them…let me know! Seems I have just exhausted Google!
Here is a summary of Case Altrui from Associazione Culturale EquiLIBRI A book that one reads quickly, that makes you laugh, cry, think…there are the misadventures of a librarian that has not learned the names of some authors (because some only have one name and not a last name) or makes gaffes with clients, that is occupied by many house changes in just a few years, that must pay the bills with her small salary, and with the burning necessity to write, because it makes her feel pain. In the book there is a multitude of characters, she talks about her friends that help her in difficult moments, of ex boyfriends, of her blue bicycle and of her faithful dog Bart. This is then the entire Planet Hilary. A world all her own, where strange things happen and where there is a happy ending, but it is not told in the pages of this book; it is in the bar code that this book has…her first book!
Altri link:
Corriere della sera | Storia a lieto fine di una Bohémienne
Corriere della sera | Otto case in dieci anni: l’epopea di Hillary
