Incidental Inventions

Book excerpt: “Fifty-one columns, short in length but long on wisdom” from the bestselling author of My Brilliant Friend, an HBO original series (Minneapolis Star-Tribune). Collected here for the first time are the seeds of future novels, the timely reflections of this internationally beloved storyteller, the abiding preoccupations of a writer who has been called “one of the great novelists of our time” (The New York Times). “This is my last column, after a year that has scared and inspired me . . . I have written as an author of novels, taking on matters that are important to me and that—if I have the will and the time—I’d like to develop within real narrative mechanisms.” With these words, Elena Ferrante bid farewell to her year-long collaboration with the Guardian newspaper. For a full year, she wrote weekly articles, the subjects of which had been suggested by Guardian editors, making the writing process a sort of prolonged interlocution. The subjects ranged from first love to climate change, from enmity among women to the experience of seeing her novels adapted for film and TV. Translated by Ann Goldstein, the acclaimed translator of Ferrante’s novels, and accompanied by Andrea Ucini’s intelligent, witty, and beautiful illustrations, this volume is a must for all curious readers. “A masterclass in style: direct and clear and all the more resonant for it.” —The Saturday Paper “If you are interested in the experience of having a drink with the author and listening to her muse on various subjects . . . here’s your answer.” —Vulture