“I believe that books, once they are written, have no need of their authors. If they have something to say, they will sooner or later find readers; if not, they won’t,” writes the elusive author of The Days of Abandonment and My Brilliant Friend in this collection consisting of over twenty years of personal letters, essays, reflections, and interviews about writing. Organized chronologically, the pieces depict in intimate detail what it is to embody a passion for writing, including the joys and anxieties of composing a story, and the choice to allow books to live autonomously from an author’s identity. Through a revealing self-portrait of Elena Ferrante’s craft, readers and aspiring writers are offered a glimpse of what a life committed to one’s writing looks like.
