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Maggie Gyllenhaal may come from a family of filmmakers, yet she never let herself dream about directing until recently. Things changed very quickly and very profoundly for Gyllenhaal when she found herself writing to Elena Ferrante, asking for permission to adapt her 2008 novel “The Lost Daughter.” Ferrante said yes, she could have the rights, but...

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Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet belongs to the literary canon of women’s literature, telling a bildungsroman of friendship and feminism. The four books are narrated by Elena (Lenù) Greco and follow her and her best friend Raffaella (Lila) Cerullo, beginning with their adolescence in Naples and following them through the divergent paths they tak...

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When Claudio Gatti published an investigation into Elena Ferrante’s identity, a few years ago, he raised an outcry both in Italy and abroad. He had pried into the author’s privacy, violated her right to remain anonymous. It was unfair, it was irrelevant, we didn’t want to know. Didn’t we? Yes and no. There was one conclusion that mattered in Gatti’...

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In the Neapolitan Quartet, Elena Ferrante sketches a genealogical cycle that extends from the 1950s to the first decade of the new millennium and challenges notions of nationhood, progress, revolution, and even feminism. This conversation between Laura Benedetti (Georgetown University) and Tiziana de Rogatis (Università per Stranieri di Siena) tack...

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What a relief it is when an author who has written a masterpiece returns to prove the gift intact. Was it ever in question for Elena Ferrante, the pseudonymous Italian author whose four-volume novel known as the Neapolitan quartet made her one of the most celebrated writers alive? Maybe not, but success has a way of spoiling things. Since the 2002...

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Marisa Tomei is lending her voice for Elena Ferrante's upcoming novel, The Lying Life of Adults. The Academy-Award winning actress is making her debut in the audiobook world with the narration of the novel set to be released on Sept. 1, it was announced Monday. Tomei describes recording Ferrante's audiobook as “very emotional at times."  "As a devo...

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Why is it, wonders a character in Elena Ferrante’s new novel, “The Lying Life of Adults,” that when talking about sex, one adjective will never suffice? “Why does it take many — embarrassing, bland, tragic, happy, pleasant, repulsive — and never one at a time but all together?” I can think of one word copious enough. The name Ferrante — the pseudon...

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L’Amica Geniale e Gomorra sono le serie tv italiane più amate dagli americani. L’Amica Geniale continua a riscuotere successo in Italia come nel resto del mondo. La settimana scorsa erano uscite le prime puntate della seconda stagione in Inghilterra che avevano spinto alcuni giornali a lodare la serie, ora un nuovo gradimento arriva addirittura dal...

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Americans rarely venture out into the world of non-English-speaking cinema and television, sadly missing out on a lot of high-quality productions just because of the intimidating language barrier. This was pointed out by Parasite director Bong Joon-ho in his 2020 Academy Award acceptance speech, he then addressed American viewers challenging them t...

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On Nov. 6, 2019, months before the coronavirus swept Italy, customers lined up outside bookstores there waiting for The Lying Life of Adults, the new novel from Elena Ferrante, whose Neapolitan quartet has become an international phenomenon. Book groups across the country held vigils reading aloud from previous works by their favorite author. Meanw...

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