by Lily Tuck
First published 2008
Elsa Morante enters the world in 1912, born into a family that lacks money but never convention. By age two, she pens her first poem. Her independent nature and fierce determination to write shape every choice that follows. When World War II engulfs Italy, Morante and her husband Alberto Moravia must abandon Rome. The Fascists hunt Moravia for his Jewish heritage, forcing the couple into hiding in a mountain refuge far from the city. After liberation, Morante publishes novels that win prestigious awards and establish her reputation. Her works include Arturo's Island and History, which captures the war's devastation. In postwar Rome, now the global center of cinema, Morante befriends directors like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Luchino Visconti, and Bernardo Bertolucci. Her beauty and charisma draw admirers, leading to passionate but troubled romances. She forms lasting bonds with literary figures Carlo Levi, Italo Calvino, and Natalia Ginzburg. The marriage between Morante and Moravia captivates Italy, their public arguments and reconciliations making them the nation's most watched intellectual couple. Tuck reveals a woman whose brilliant mind and creative vision never quite brought her personal happiness.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, biographical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figures, literary-figures
Setting: Rome, Italy
Period: World War II, Postwar
272 pages · Hardcover · Harper