ILKA CANAVARRO was born in Recife in 1975. She graduated in Languages and Literature at the Federal University of Pernambuco and now works at an advertising agency in Tuscany, Italy. She has always been interested in the human psyche and showed interest in writing from an early age. 

She specializes in short stories that speak only about people. While creating her characters, she takes a stroll through their most intimate moments, revealing what they carry within their very soul: Yearnings and frustrations, a myriad of feelings that make up the life of everyday people.

Her short stories show intense emotional conflicts, depicting the deaf suffering of characters worn out by the system and their own existence, making readers feel afflicted and fascinated until the very last line. 

She has had her work published in literary magazines, including one entitled A carne ("The Flesh") in O Verbo, which tells the story of a family torn between starvation and the will to keep their dignity. Other short stories include O passeio ("The Stroll,") Manuela, Aplauso à mania ("An Ovation to Excentricities,"), Vendi minha alma ("I Sold my Soul.")

Ilka is currently writing two novels: Cartas para Anabela ("Letters to Anabela") and A ilha que nunca existiu ("The Island That Never Was.")