Silvia Ballestra (born 1969) is an Italian writer. In 2006, she won the Rapallo Carige Prize.
Ballestra was born in Porto San Giorgio in 1969.
She was discovered by Pier Vittorio Tondelli and began publishing novels, short stories and essays since 1990.
Her debut book was Birthday of the Iguana and it has been translated into several languages. From that book and the following book La guerra degli Antò was taken the script of a film, The Anto War by Riccardo Milani. She has a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature. She has edited various translations from both French and English. She has worked with the newspaper L'Unitàand several magazines and other newspapers. She has lived and worked in Milan.
In 2006, she won the Rapallo Carige Prize for La seconda Dora.