Ferrante, Helena

Born and raised in Naples , received a higher philological education. His favorite writer calls Elsa Morante ^[3] . Elena Ferrante is considered to be a creative pseudonym, but the author does not confirm or deny this theory. There are several hypotheses about who is hiding behind the name Ferrante - some assume that they are the couple Sandro Ferri and Sandra Ozzola, who lead the Italian publishing house Edizioni e / o, in which all the books of Ferrante are published. Another version is that this is a famous Italian writer and screenwriter; the version is set out in an article by an Italian reporter published simultaneously in several publications in 2016 ^{[4] [5]} , which made such a conclusion based on the tax returns of the publishing house and Anita Raya. Neither the author nor the publisher responded to these publications. ("Anita Raja a Tommaso Debenedetti: Yo soy Elena Ferrante" El Mundo, Madrid, 9-12-2016)

Ferrante is the author of a number of works, the most famous of which comprise the cycle “Neapolitan Novels”. The first book of the cycle, “The Ingenious Friend”, was published in Russian in 2016 by Sindbad Publishing House ^[6] .

Despite the fact that the identity of the author is unknown, Elena Ferrante gained popularity among readers both in Italy and abroad (especially in the USA, where the Neapolitan Romance series appeared in the translation of Anne Goldstein) ^{[7] [8]} .

In order to satisfy readers' curiosity about the author’s identity, Ferrante’s publishers have published a book called La Frantumaglia (Fragments). It contains letters to Ferrante to her publisher, her rare interviews. In this book she tells why she wants to stay in the shadow of her works. Ferrante is sure that the books do not need a photo of the author on the cover or advertising presentations - they exist as autonomous organisms to which the personality of the author will not add anything ^[9] .

• L'amore molesto ( 1992 )
• I giorni dell'abbandono ( 2002 )
• La frantumaglia ( 2003 )
• La figlia oscura ( 2006 )
• La spiaggia di notte ( 2007 )

Cycle "Neapolitan Quartet"

• L'amica geniale ( 2011 ); in Russian translation: My brilliant friend , ( 2016 ).
• Storia del nuovo cognome , L'amica geniale volume 2 ( 2012 ); in Russian translation: History of a new name , ( 2017 ).
• Storia di chi fugge e di chi resta , L'amica geniale volume 3 ( 2013 ); in Russian translation: Those who leave, and those who remain , ( 2017 ).
• Storia della bambina perduta , L'amica geniale volume 4 ( 2014 ); in Russian translation: The Story of a Missing Child , ( 2017 ) ..

The film based on the first novel Ferrante L'amore molesto ("Obsessive love") participated in the competition of the 48th Cannes Film Festival . The novel was nominated for prestigious Italian awards, including the " Strega " and "Artemisia" .

The next novel, “I giorni dell'abbandono” (Days of Solitude) was among the finalists of the Viareggio Award , a film based on it was shown at the International Venice Film Festival .

In 2014, the second volume of the cycle “Neapolitan Novels” received an award in the USA for the best translation ^[10] .

In 2015, the fourth volume of the Neapolitan cycle entered the top three finalists of the prestigious Italian book award "Strega", and also hit the top ten novels according to the New York Times ^[11] .

In 2016, the final volume of the Neapolitan cycle hit the short list of the international Man Booker Prize ^[12] .

Time Magazine included Helena Ferrante on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world (May 2016 ) ^[2] .

In 2018, according to the novel of the same name, the television series “ My Ingenious Friend ” was shot, which was soon extended to the second season ^[13] .

• “Freedom brought to impudence”: interview with Russian translator Helena Ferrante
• Official site