The Neapolitan Novels, Volume 1

Now in B-format Paperback

The story of Elena and Lila begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood 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. A memorable portrait of two women, 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 city and a country undergoing momentous change.

“Nothing quite like it has ever been published before . . . Brilliant novels, exquisitely translated.”—Meghan O’Rourke, The< Guardian

“Stunning. An intense, forensic exploration of friendship.”—The Times Literary Supplement

“To the uninitiated, Elena Ferrante is best described as Balzac meets The Sopranos and rewrites feminist theory.”—The Times

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.

• 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