This year’s first WeeGee Reads takes us on a literary adventure to sunny Naples. At WeeGee Reads, we delve into the beloved Neapolitan Novels, the four-part book series by Elena Ferrante. The event is part of EMMA’s Italian Brunch in the Spirit of Art programme. Elena Ferrante is one of Italy’s most significant contemporary authors, and the Neapolitan Novels are her best-known work. More than 16 million copies have been sold, and the novels have been translated into 45 languages and turned into a highly acclaimed HBO television series. The novels have also been adapted for the stage in Finland under the title Min fantastiska väninna (My Brilliant Friend), directed by Riikka Oksanen.

Ferrante has described the book series as a single novel that, for practical reasons, was published in four volumes. The series follows two friends as they grow from childhood into old age. The novels, which depict friendship between women, explore several social themes, such as poverty and the changing circumstances of Italian women in the 1970s.

Elena Ferrante is a pen name, and the author’s true identity is known only to the books’ publisher. This bestselling series and its mysterious author will be discussed by Ferrante fan, reading ambassador, and book blogger Kirsi Ranin, together with Leena Balme, publisher of translated fiction at WSOY.

After the discussion you can stay in the exhibition area and read your own book. After the silent book club we discuss about what we heard and read.

Schedule

13:45 WeeGee Reads: Elena Ferrante, 2nd floor, EMMA

14:45 Silent book club

15:30 Closing discussion

The event is organised in EMMA, 2nd floor and it is included in the museum admission fee.