Elena Ferrante: The Neopolitan Novels, reviewed by Nicholas Hoare

Lest we be accused of coming late to the party, we aren't. The pseudonymous Elena Ferrante, whose sudden fame in the wake of her 4-volume masterpiece, The Neopolitan Novels, erupted from a standing start in a matter of months, is undergoing a further metamorphosis - in film.

The books that comprise her memorable quartet - My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child - concern a lifelong friendship between two impoverished girls growing up on the tough streets of 1950s Naples, and their subsequent ups and downs. Whether read singly, or as a whole, it is a remarkable achievement; but all four books will reach an even larger audience in the wake of a joint Italian-American venture to produce the entire series for TV: a massive undertaking, involving no less than 32 episodes, which show - to judge by an early glimpse - the making of a masterpiece in itself.

Nothing, however, can improve on the books themselves, which remain both a monument to both this highly original writer and her singular translator.

[anv.]

Dear Nicholas, wonderful review and recommended. Thanks

[Alraundelberin]

Oh I love them so much! They are beautifully translated to Turkish as well. I also would like say, you channel is a hidden gem! So many lovely suggestions, lovely videos.. I hope it will be much more popular in a short time, your suggestions certainly deserve more views!