Four new and revelatory essays by the author of My Brilliant Friend and The Lost Daughter
In 2020, Claire Luchette in O, The Oprah Magazine described the beloved Italian novelist Elena Ferrante as “an oracle among authors.” Here, in these four crisp essays, Ferrante offers a rare look at the origins of her literary powers. She writes about her influences, her struggles, and her formation as both a reader and a writer; she describes the perils of “bad language” and suggests ways in which it has long excluded women’s truth; and she proposes a choral fusion of feminine talent as she brilliantly discourses on the work of Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, Ingeborg Bachmann, and many others.
Here is a subtle yet candid book by “one of the great novelists of our time” about adventures in literature, both in and out of the margins.
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“Narrator Hillary Huber’s sumptuous voice brings out the poignancy of the four thought-provoking essays…Huber’s performance is a short but lavish listening experience for lovers of letters and literature. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“Razor-sharp…A candid look into Ferrante’s development of not only her craft but also her life-long passion for literature.”
— Time“The doyenne of Italian literature pores over her toolbox, discovering that reinvention is the name of her game.”
— Oprah Daily“Vivid and concise…This book is a true treasure and could provide an important guide for other marginalized writers looking for their own voices.”
— New York Journal of Books“The essays of In the Margins are illuminating and beguiling as they peek into the literary craft of a writer at the height of her powers.”
— ForeWord Reviews“An intimate self-portrait and an essential read.”
— AV Club“The collection’s strength comes from Ferrante’s beautiful prose, as well as the fascinating look at where she finds inspiration. The author’s legions of fans are in for a treat.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Ferrante offers insights about her complex protagonists.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Rather than offering a how-to guide, she describes her process with all the lyrical yet clarifying prose of her fiction…[and] lauds the concept of creativity under constraint.”
— Shelf AwarenessBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Elena Ferrante, author of The Days of Abandonment, Troubling Love, and My Brilliant Friend, among others, is one of Italy’s most important and acclaimed contemporary writers. She was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2016 by Time.
Hillary Huber, a Los Angeles–based voice talent with hundreds of commercials and promos under her belt, was bitten by the audiobook bug in 2005. She now records books on a regular basis and has been nominated for several Audie Awards and won numerous Earphones Awards.