Page 5 - Italian-American Herald - November 2024

THE ARTS
Many of us think of the happy Disney movie version but the original novel has a darker tone. The story was first released in serial format in a weekly magazine for children in July 1881 and was later published as a book in 1883. This fantastical and highly acclaimed novel is set in Tuscany and has been translated into as many as 260 languages.
If you want to delve into the original story, you will find it is packed full of adventure penned as a darker and menacing fairy tale written by the author to impart moral lessons to children.
Numerous Italian authors have written about the city of Naples. In recent years, Elena Ferrante has found remarkable success with her extremely popular four-series Neopolitan novels exploring the intricate depth of female friendships. The first novel in the series was “My Brilliant Friend”(“L’amica Geniale.” It was also the first of the novels to be adapted to the small screen.
The story begins in the 1950s in a poor but lively neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. As they grow up on these troubled streets, the two friends Elena and Lila learn to count on each other before anyone or anything else. As they grow up their paths continually deviate and reconnect, they remain best friends whose destinies are
intertwined. They are also the symbol of a country undergoing momentous change. This is the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country whose notable changes also spark shifts in the relationships between the two friends.
For those interested in the journey of millions of Italians who emigrated to the U.S., Melania Mazzucco authored the novel “Life” (“Vita”) in 2005. The story spans a century
of time and blends both documentary evidence and fiction to capture the emigrant’s experience. It is a combination of stories and photographs which takes you into the lives
of these people who left all they knew behind for a chance at a better life. Mazzucco also wrote “Limbo,” a story of a female sergeant returning from the war in Afghanistan, which offers a very different perspective on the conflict.
We have all seen movies and shows such as “The Godfather” and “The Sopranos” among others which depict the role of the Mafia in the history of crime in Italy. There are several authors who have written about crime, power, and politics in Italy. Perhaps the best known is Roberto Saviano who identifies more as a journalist than a novelist. Saviano’s detailed investigative journalism set off a firestorm with his publication of
In the coming-of-age series “My Brilliant Friend,” a woman recalls the lifelong friendship and conflicts with a girl she met at primary school in Naples during the early 1950s.
ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
NOVEMBER2024 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 5