๐ ๐ฎ๐น #22: A literary sensation from Italy
I finally read Elena Ferrante
Welcome to Bookmarked, a weekly newsletter following my journey as I read one book from every country. If youโre enjoying my project, Iโd love it if you shared Bookmarked with a friend.
My Brilliant Friend is the gripping first volume of Italian author Elena Ferranteโs Neapolitan Novels. Published in English by Europa Editions between 2012 and 2015, the coming-of-age quartet has sold an extraordinary 15 million copies worldwide and the books have been translated into 45 languages. According to this New York Times article, Ferranteโs popularity has inspired a new wave of female novelists in Italy and shaken up the countryโs male-dominated literary establishment. Ferranteโs success has also prompted an outpour of interest in her translator Ann Goldstein and, by extension, in translated literature. If you havenโt already jumped on the Elena Ferrante bandwagon, itโs about time you did.
Set in a poor neighbourhood in Naples in the 1950s, My Brilliant Friend introduces us to Elena Greco, a woman in her mid-sixties who is looking back on her lifelong friendship with Lila Cerullo. Despite inhabiting a world in which money is scarce and education is considered a privilege, especially for girls, Elena and Lena form a bond based on their shared intelligence and a desire to escape their oppressive, violent circumstances.
We were twelve years old, but we walked along the hot streets of the neighborhood, amid the dust and flies that the occasional old trucks stirred up as they passed, like two old ladies taking the measure of lives of disappointment, clinging tightly to each other. No one understood us, only we twoโI thoughtโunderstood one another.๏ปฟ
Though both girls are unusually clever, it is Lila who impresses their teachers by learning to read and write before anyone else in the class. The girlsโ friendship is steered by an urgent sense of competition; one that sees both Elena and Lila use their jealousy of one another as motivation to do better. It is this rich and deeply-felt dynamic which is at the centre of My Brilliant Friend.
Whilst Lila is the dominant friend, dragging Elena towards danger on more than one occasion, it is Elena who is afforded more opportunities in life. After just a few years of formal education, Lila is taken out of school to work in her fatherโs shoe repair shop, whilst Elena is allowed to continue learning. Suddenly Elena, who has always been second best, finds herself in a position to make top of the class. Lila, in response, teaches herself Greek and Latin.
My Brilliant Friend is a completely charming read, which ascribes due power and complexity to young female friendships. In just 336 pages, Ferrante made me fall in love with both Elena and Lila and, though I felt the novelโs many secondary characters could have been more fleshed out, I know Iโll be reading the rest of the quartet.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Europa Editions, 2012 / Edizioni E/O, 2012)
More books by Italian authors:
Hollow Heart by Viola di Grado, tr. Antony Shugaar
The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini, tr. Dick Kitto and Elspeth Spottiswood
Vita by Melania G. Mazzucco, tr. Virginia Jewiss
Eva Sleeps by Francesca Melandri, tr. Katherine Gregor
The Girl at the Door by Veronica Raimo, tr. Stash Luczkiw
Farewell, Ghosts by Nadia Terranova, tr. Ann Goldstein
What have you read recently?
If youโve read a brilliant book in translation or want to pass on a recommendation, Iโd love to hear about it! For this project, Iโm focussing on contemporary fiction and short stories, with a preference for female authorsโbut I wonโt be too dogmatic about it so do share recommendations that donโt quite fit the bill, too.
You can get in touch by replying to this email or leaving a comment. Iโll be featuring your recommendations in upcoming newsletters, and Iโll keep a growing listย here.
Bookmarked is written by Tabatha Leggett. Thanks to Ann Marsh for her recommendation for this issue. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them!