The book
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Book One of the Neapolitan Novels
From one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, comes this ravishing and generous-hearted novel about a friendship that lasts a lifetime. The story of Elena and Lila begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else, as their friendship, beautifully and meticulously rendered, becomes a not always perfect shelter from hardship. Ferrante has created a memorable portrait of two women, but My Brilliant Friend is also the story of a nation. Through the lives of Elena and Lila, Ferrante gives her readers the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country undergoing momentous change.
Elena Ferrante is the author of three previous works of critically acclaimed fiction: The Days of Abandonment, Troubling Love, and The Lost Daughter. With this stylishly plotted novel, the first in a series dubbed the “Neapolitan Novels,” she proves herself to be one of Italy’s greatest storytellers.
The author
Elena Ferrante
Elena Ferrante is the author of The Days of Abandonment (Europa, 2005), Troubling Love (Europa, 2006), The Lost Daughter (Europa, 2008), and the four novels known as the Neapolitan Quartet (My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child) which were published by Europa Editions between 2012 and 2015. My Brilliant Friend, the HBO series directed by Saverio Costanzo, premiered in 2018. Ferrante is also the author of Frantumaglia: A Writer’s Journey (Europa, 2016), a children’s picture book illustrated by Mara Cerri, The Beach at Night (Europa, 2016), and a collection of personal essays illustrated by Andrea Ucini entitled Incidental Inventions (Europa, 2019). The Lost Daughter will be made into a feature film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Olivia Colman. Her most recent novel is The Lying Life of Adults (Europa, 2020). In the Margins, a collection of original essays on reading and writing, was published by Europa in 2022.
Reviews
- Sep 21 2019
The 100 best books of the 21st century
— The Guardian - Nov 19 2018
From Fellini to Ferrante: the cinematic vision of My Brilliant Friend
— The Guardian - Nov 15 2018
How Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend became a TV drama
— The Times - Nov 15 2018
‘My Brilliant Friend’ Review: Ferrante Adaptation Packs an Emotional Wallop
— Rolling Stone - Nov 11 2018
‘I fell in love with Lila’: on the set of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend
— The Observer - Nov 11 2018
My Brilliant Friend Television Series: Everything You Need To Know
— Vogue UK