Elena Ferrante in Translation

Elena Ferrante is the pen name for an Italian author who doesn't do interviews, and whose true identity has been kept a secret – and eluded detection – for more than two decades. Ann Goldstein is the only literary translator who has been entrusted with bringing the words of Ms. Ferrante's bestselling Neapolitan novels to English readers. Over the course of the past decade or so, Ms. Goldstein has become one of the most sought-after Italian to English literary translators in the world. Her other notable translation work includes In Other Words, Jhumpa Lahiri’s new Italian-written memoir and The Complete Works of Primo Levi, which was released last fall. And not for nothing, but all of these accomplishments are on top of Ms. Goldstein's day job as head of the copy department at The New Yorker.

Ann Goldstein joins The Leonard Lopate Show Book Club to answer your questions about the Neapolitan novels, how she became a celebrity in the translation world, as well as the public face of Elena Ferrante, her process, and her broader body of work. 

Watch the video:

Event: On April 28th at 7 p.m., Ann Goldstein will be in conversation with authors Roxana Robinson and Judith Thurman at The Greene Space to discuss Elena Ferrante and her collection of essays and letters, Bits and Pieces of Uncertain Origin, coming out in November. The event is sold out, but you can watch the live stream here.