Italian · b. 1943
Elena Ferrante writes under a pseudonym and refuses interviews, letting her Neapolitan Novels speak without authorial presence. The four-book series following Elena and Lila from 1950s Naples childhood through old age became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies and inspiring an HBO series. The Italian author's insistence on anonymity has only increased fascination with work that examines female friendship, class mobility, and violence with unflinching honesty.