Elena Ferrante

Elena Ferrante

Elena Ferrante was born on April 5th, 1943 and is currently 82 years old. Elena Ferrante was born in Naples, Italy.

Elena Ferrante has published 4 standalone novels, starting with The Days of Abandonment in 2002. The most recently released novel was The Lying Life of Adults, which was released in 2019.There are no upcoming standalone novels by Elena at this time.

Elena Ferrante has also written the Neapolitan series which has 4 books including My Brilliant Friend and The Story of a New Name.

Elena Ferrante: Awards & Accolades

Elena Ferrante books have been nominated for multiple awards, My Brilliant Friend was nominated for the Waterstones, Book of the Year, in 2015. The Story of the Lost Child was nominated for the International Booker Prize, Best Fiction Book, in 2016. The Lying Life of Adults was nominated for the Kirkus Prize, Best Fiction Book, in 2020 as well as the British Book Awards - Fiction Book of the Year in 2021, Audie Award - Best Female Narrator in 2021.

Elena Ferrante: Lists & Other Mentions

• The Lying Life of Adults was the Natalie Portman's Book Club August '20 Pick.
• My Brilliant Friend has made several lists including:
  1. The Guardian: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Section in 2019.
  2. New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
  3. Good Housekeeping: 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors Selection in 2021.
  4. Ex Libris: 100 Books to Read and Reread Selection in 2020.
  5. New York Public Library: 125 Books We Love for Adults Selection in 2020.
  6. Vox: 19 Best Books from the 2010s Selection in 2019.
  7. The Independent: 25 Best Books by Female Authors Selection in 2019.
  8. BBC: Radio Oxford 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die Selection in 2020.
  9. Los Angeles Times: The 30 Best Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years Selection in 2025.
  10. Refinery29: The Ultimate Book Bucket List Selection in 2023.
• The Story of the Lost Child was a New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
• The Days of Abandonment was a New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
• The Lying Life of Adults was a Time Magazine: 100 Must-Read Books Selection in 2020.
• Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay was a Vox: 19 Best Books from the 2010s Selection in 2019.

My Brilliant Friend was listed at #7 on the Los Angeles Times "Best Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years" list, which was published in April 2025.

The entire Neopolitan series was included in the Ex Libris 100 Books to Read and Reread list.

The entire Neopolitan series was included in The Sunday Times 100 21st-Century Novels to Love list in 2019.

The My Brilliant Friend series was listed on Audible's The Top 100 Book Series of All Time list in 2024.

Related Authors

Fans of Elena Ferrante also enjoy these authors:

1. Ellen Marie Wiseman, author of: What She Left Behind.
2. Emma Donoghue, author of: Room.
3. Pip Williams, author of: The Dictionary of Lost Words.
4. Abraham Verghese, author of: Cutting for Stone.
5. Amy Tan, author of: The Joy Luck Club.
6. Elizabeth Berg, author of the Mason Series.
7. Ernest Hemingway, author of: The Old Man and the Sea.
8. Ann Napolitano, author of: Hello Beautiful.
9. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of: Eat, Pray, Love.
10. Maeve Binchy, author of: Tara Road.

Elena Ferrante: F.A.Q