La vita bugiarda degli adulti / The lying life of adults
“>
Autor:
Elena Ferrante
Country:
Italy (IT)
Book Theme:
The new writers under 40
Publisher:
E/O
Publishing Year:
2019
Elena Ferrante is the pseudonym of an Italian writer, probably born in Naples around 1943, who has chosen to remain anonymous. She has studied in a classical environment and often in her writings emerge themes such as identity, motherhood, her city of origin, and the rift between social affiliations. She became famous worldwide thanks to the tetralogy of “Neapolitan friendship,” with which she captivated millions of readers. She lives away from media clamor, preferring that her identity remain hidden and that the book speaks for itself.
National Award for Children’s and Young People’s
Abstract
In the novel ‘’la vita bugiarda degli adulti’’ by Elena Ferrante, thirteen-year-old Giovanna Trada goes through a troubled phase of growth in early 1990s Naples. The daughter of two bourgeois teachers, she feels appreciated and protected until her father compares her to her aunt Vittoria: “you’re ugly and wicked like her.” This comment, spoken under his breath, throws her into crisis. She then decides to discover who that excluded aunt is, against the backdrop of a city with two faces: the elegant Vomero district and the hidden, popular Naples. Giovanna explores the adult world, uncovers lies, betrayals, desire and sexual power, and witnesses the implosion of childhood ideals. She herself oscillates between the aspiration to study, the attraction to the “freer” life of her friend Ida, the fascination for Francesco, the first step toward sexuality, and the fear of becoming like the aunt scorned by the family. In the end the novel offers no answers, but a sense of suspension: growing up also means not knowing who you will become or whom you’ll resemble.
