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Frantumaglia first appeared in 2003 and mainly commented on Ferrante's first works. In this edition of 2016 two big chapters have been added, with comments on the later works, of course mainly the Neapolitan novels. Written questions from readers, reviewers or fellow writers are almost always the guideline for Ferrante's answers.

Right from the start, the questions are about her choice to remain anonymous, and those questions keep returning, sometimes even with a denigratingly accusing undertone. Ferrante always reacts politely to this, although her underlying annoyance to that constant monitoring of her identity is also clear. That is understandable of course, but it does create a lot of repetition in this book, (also about other themes, by the way), and that is annoying to the reader as well.

But on the other hand, Ferrante in Frantumaglia regularly gives an interesting insight into the way she writes her books, and from which background and inspiration. And she also regularly explains certain substantive aspects of her books. In this way, Frantumaglia is an absolute must read, because it rarely happens that an author gives an explanation of his/her own work in a way that goes much deeper than the superficial talks in the media.

Incidentally, throughout the years (the first answers date from 1991, the last from 2015), there’s a striking evolution in the comments of Ferrante: in the beginning she is fairly hesitant and evasive, and condescending about her own talent and fame; but gradually you see her self-confidence grow, and she really starts to explain what her writing is all about. In the end, her firm feminist statements are striking (not surprising, of course, for those who know her work.). Her tone reminded me very much of Marguerite Yourcenar, in the interview book Les Yeux ouverts : Entretiens avec Matthieu Galey, also a writer who constantly revised her texts before publication and who also spoke a lot about the female condition. That is quite a reference, isn’t it?