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ashalucienne's review against another edition
3.75
So far, I am not as taken with Ferrante's writing as the rest of the literary community. This was another fun and quick read from Morrison, I especially liked "Dante's Rib" which was the last essay included in the collection (the one she did not write with the intention of delivering as a speech). Her writing is wonderful and the translation is beautiful, but it doesn't feel groundbreaking...maybe I'll feel differently when I finally read the Neapolitan trilogy.
pearlreads's review against another edition
5.0
every lover of reading and writing should read this book at least once in their life time, absolutely stunning and mind blowing 🤎
capy's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
We have to accept the fact that no word is truly ours. We have to give up the idea that writing miraculously releases a voice of our own, a tonality of our own: in my view that is a lazy way of talking about writing. Writing is, rather, entering an immense cemetery where every tomb is waiting to be profaned. Writing is getting comfortable with everything that has already been written—great literature and commercial literature, if useful, the novel-essay and the screenplay—and in turn becoming, within the limits of one’s own dizzying, crowded individuality, something written. Writing is seizing everything that has already been written and gradually learning to spend that enormous fortune. We mustn’t let ourselves be flattered by those who say: here’s someone who has a tonality of her own. Everything, in writing, has a long history behind it.
i think i should've read literally ANY of her other books before picking this one up. it is obvious she's an iconic writer but i could not appreciate this book for what it was and i'm upset at myself (very cool to learn the origin of "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" though)
With greater or less ability we fabricate fictions not so that the false will seem true but to tell the most unspeakable truth with absolute faithfulness through the fiction.
trnolan's review against another edition
4.0
Some great nuggets hidden in these essays and I added a bunch of books to my TBR after reading. There were definitely some slogs but luckily overstayed its welcome too much. Made me want to read Ferrante's novels more.
clariseng's review against another edition
4.0
This small volume collects Elena Ferrante’s lectures about writing diligently and convulsively, and what it is to write as a woman about women. I read this in my attempt to know— even just a bit—the enigmatic author that has so enthralled me. Suffice to say, I savoured every wise word. ♥️
alx7p's review
4.0
Come scrive la Ferrante nessuno. Sicuramente da rileggere per assimilare tutte le piccole sfaccettature del suo pensiero e del suo vocabolario!