I was born in a small mountain town of the Aspromonte massif of Reggio Calabria, Italy. From the age of six until I left for University I lived for the most part in North Bay, Ontario, the "Gateway to the North". As a child I was captivated by the beauty of the violet tinged foothills of the Laurentians and by the books I borrowed from the local library. It was here, in books, that I met thinkers whose words, images and ideas have left their mark: Charlotte Bronte, Vincent van Gogh, Mahatma Gandhi, Emily Dickinson, Leo Tolstoy, Jane Austen, Grazia Deledda, Emily Carr, Elsa Morante, Boris Pasternak, Khalil Gibran and so many more. At the University of Toronto, I earned a degree in law (LLB) and BA, Masters and PHD degrees focusing primarily on comparative literature and literary theory. (Please see the list of my academic and other publications.)

Caterina Nella Cotrupi