One of the most prolific Italian female writers of the twentieth century, Elsa Morante was born in 1912 in Rome. Although as a child she did not attend school, reading was her greatest passion. She started writing poems and fables for children at an early age and was soon able to support herself through private lessons and writing. In 1941 Morante married Alberto Moravia, but the couple divorced, childless, in 1962. Morante’s debut was a book for children,
Le bellissime avventure di Caterì dalla trecciolina[The Beautiful Adventures of Caterina with a Braid] (1942), republished as
Le straordinarie avventure di Caterina[The Extraordinary Adventures of Caterina] (1959). In addition to her novels, discussed below, her vast literary production includes two collections of poetry,
Alibi…
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Citation: Liimatta-Baroncini, Katja . "Elsa Morante". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 January 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12523, accessed 12 December 2024.]