Ilaria Gaspari - Malinconia, emozione o malattia?

Melancholy bears in its very name the trace of ancient medical theories linking it to an excess of black bile—a dark, somber mood, a literal "black humor" that drags the sufferer into an emotional spectrum ranging from apathy and restlessness to anguish and despair. It is a state of mind situated on the fine line between emotion and illness; before clinical depression acquired its own name and medical history, it was attributed to the Saturnine constellation of melancholy. Indeed, countless remedies for melancholy have been devised since antiquity; today, our algophobic age—terrified of pain—does everything to exorcise, lull, or deceive it, doing whatever it takes to keep it at bay. Yet within melancholy—in its non-pathological aspect, in that fleeting shadow that clouds one’s view of the world—lies a secret concerning the human condition as a whole. And perhaps, relegating melancholy entirely to treatments that numb it is not always the wisest choice. Perhaps, before silencing that "black humor," it is important to learn to listen to it.

Ilaria Gaspari in conversation with Valeria Cecilia.

Ilaria Gaspari divides her time between Rome and Paris. She studied philosophy at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa and earned her doctorate from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. Her first book, *Etica dell’acquario*, was published by Voland in 2015, followed by *Ragioni e sentimenti*, published by Sonzogno. She has published *Lezioni di felicità*, *Vita segreta delle emozioni*, and *Cenerentole e sorellastre* with Einaudi. She contributes to various publications, produces podcasts, hosts a program on Radio 3, and teaches writing courses. She divides her time between Rome and Paris. She travels extensively, often accompanied by her dog, Emilio.

Valeria Cecilia is a journalist for *Il Foglio*, a writer, an editor, and a curator of literary and cultural event series.