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A review by extemporalli
La frantumaglia by Elena Ferrante
5.0
I read this ages ago, but 3 things that I found completely delightful about this collection of essays, letters, interviews, marginalia etc and still remember:
1) EF's incessant repetition that 'anonymity did not bring my writing acclaim, the success of my writing brought my anonymity acclaim' ad nauseam to interviewers who you'd think would have learnt to stop asking her the same question
2) Her desire for “a space of absolute creative freedom” via pseudonymity because her books stick “a finger in certain wounds I have that are still infected”.
3) The revelation that the dog in The Days in Abandonment was inspired by a German Shepherd she had and loved very much many years ago
For me, Elena Ferrante is one of those precious & rare writers where I feel the need to read every single thing she's written, so others might find this collection less essential than I did. For my part, I found these short pieces as enjoyable and relaxing as they were invigorating and instructive - I read one piece every night before bed, and every night I felt that I came away having learnt new things about the value of privacy, the craft of writing, and how to read.
1) EF's incessant repetition that 'anonymity did not bring my writing acclaim, the success of my writing brought my anonymity acclaim' ad nauseam to interviewers who you'd think would have learnt to stop asking her the same question
2) Her desire for “a space of absolute creative freedom” via pseudonymity because her books stick “a finger in certain wounds I have that are still infected”.
3) The revelation that the dog in The Days in Abandonment was inspired by a German Shepherd she had and loved very much many years ago
For me, Elena Ferrante is one of those precious & rare writers where I feel the need to read every single thing she's written, so others might find this collection less essential than I did. For my part, I found these short pieces as enjoyable and relaxing as they were invigorating and instructive - I read one piece every night before bed, and every night I felt that I came away having learnt new things about the value of privacy, the craft of writing, and how to read.