Elsa Morante
Elsa Morante ( born August 18, 1912 in Rome, † November 25, 1985 ibid ) was an Italian writer who is counted among the most important representatives of the post-war literature.
Biography
Elsa Morante was born in the proletarian district of Rome Testaccio. From 1941 to 1962 she was married to Alberto Moravia. Her friends included Natalia Ginzburg and Pier Paolo Pasolini. Like her husband, she had a Jewish parent. The couple went 1943/44, into exile.
Since the age of 13 years, Elsa Morante published stories in newspapers for children. In 1941 her first collection of short stories, which subsequently underwent an expanded new edition was published ( " The Andalusian Scarf" ). Then came 1948, the first of their four great novels, lies and witchcraft, for which she received the Premio Viareggio in the same year. Her second novel, " Arturo's Island", received the 1957 Premio Strega. With Alberto Moravia she made numerous trips to Spain, in the USSR, China and 1960 in the United States. In 1961 she played a small role in Pasolini's film Accattone. Several years Morante was working on a novel titled " Senza i Conforti della religione " which was not published. In 1974, the novel " La Storia ", international recognition, but also received a lot of criticism. Morante last novel " Aracoeli " in 1984 awarded the Prix Médicis.
After a failed suicide attempt in 1983 Elsa Morante died in 1985 of a heart attack.
She is the aunt of the Italian actress Laura Morante.
Works (selection)
- Il gioco segreto, racconti ( The secret game). Stories ( 1941)
- Menzogna e Sortilegio ( lie and sorcery ). Roman ( 1948)
- L' isola di Arturo ( Arturo's Island). Roman ( 1957)
- Lo scialle andaluso ( The Andalusian Scarf). Stories ( 1963)
- Il mondo Salvato dai Ragazzini (The World from the children ). Poems (1968 )
- La Storia. Roman ( 1974)
- Aracoeli. Roman ( 1982)
Secondary literature
- Christian Ferrara: " Useppe and the others" - Elsa Morante image of childhood in " La Storia ". Grin Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-638-79496-1.