TV presentation of Elena Ferrante's "My Brilliant Friend" novel (Video in Armenian)

This novel is widely popular in each part of the world. The 4-part Neapolitan novels have been translated into 40 languages. The books were sold in 10 million copies. The editor of the Armenian publication is Tatevik Nalbandyan. "Actions of the novel take place in Naples, In conditions of terrible, extreme poverty, women tear each other apart, men constantly beat up each other."

Newmag presents the first novel of the 4-part series, which depicts the beginning of the friendship between the protagonists and develops until the years of their adolescence. The book editor claims that in this book, the neorealism of Italian movies is transformed into literary neorealism. "This is definitely a Ferrantemania. The book has a magical power of keeping the intense mood throughout all the pages."

 

In 2016 Ferrante was named one of TIME's most influential people of the year, and the New York Times has described her as "one of the great novelists of our time. Elena Ferrante is a pseudonymous Italian novelist. Everyone reads her novels, but nobody saw her in real life. There are several theories as to who Ferrante is. According to Artur Andranikyan, Ferrante is believed to be a woman in her 40s. According to another version, two publishers - husband and wife, are hiding under the pseudonym Ferrante. "I see artisticization of everyday life. A provincial town, where a whole reality is revealed through the everyday life of two friends."

Ferrante believes that from the moment the book is written, the author's name is not an important indicator anymore. As soon as you open the first page and see the list of the characters, it feels as if you are reading a novel of the 19th century. Domestic violence and poverty are the two pillars of this novel; the political events of the country are presented in the novel through the story of the main characters. The proofreader of the book, Tatevik Baghdasaryan, is one of the first readers of the Armenian translation.  "The book is like an Italian movie. There are 40 characters, each of them unique and diverse but connected with a common fate. This story is not only about people living in the post-war Naples, but also about all of us."

   

Italian literature encountered similar success only twice. In the 1970s it was Italo Calvino , in the 1980s it was Umberto Eco. After almost three decades, the next Italian literary phenomenon is a woman. Editor Gnel Nalbandyan claims that this novel is not simply a story about the poor district of Naples.  "This book is not just about Naples. It is also about Yerevan. Another person could claim that the novel is about Gyumri. In the novel, a person's life represents the life of a whole country."

Newmag presents the first part of the Neapolitan Novels. This is a book, which the whole world is currently reading. Welcome to Ferrantemania!