EUROPEAN BOOK CLUB: Elena Ferrante, My Brilliant Friend

The New York European Book Club is a collaborative project of 7 European cultural institutions to promote readership of each country's literature in English translation. This year book for the Italian session is Elena Ferrante's "My Brilliant Friend" (L'amica geniale, 2011), published in English by Europa editions, 2012. In this novel, the first installment of a trilogy, Elena Ferrante tells the story of two little girls who become friends and grow up in the same neighborhood in Naples. But there is more to this coming-of-age story, infused with violence and an unresolved search for love and knowledge. Join us in exploring Elena Ferrante's unique representation of family relationships and friendship, private and public spaces in the city, and the changing social and economic landscape of modern Italy.