The Naples Of Elena Ferrante
Except for Karl Ove Knausgaard, the European novelist of the moment, at least for American readers, is Elena Ferrante. Of her, Rachel Donadio writes: ‘Ferrante, who hides behind a pseudonym and has never made a public appearance, does not disguise the fact that, like “Ulysses,” her Naples novels, in their own way, are epic in their scope and ambitions. The narrator of these books—”My Brilliant Friend” (2012; English translation 2012), “The Story of a New Name” (2012; English translation 2013), and “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” (2013; English translation 2014)—is Elena Greco, literally Helen the Greek.’ Pictured is a 1964 scene of Naples taken by Bruno Barbey.
