The mysterious Italian author Elena Ferrante is the latest in a long-line of writers whose works have lent themselves to cinematic adaptation, from Jane Austen to Ian McEwan. The latest of her novels, The Lying Life of Adults, has now been adapted for the small screen by Netflix, with an eight-part series set to land later this year.
Felipe Tewes, director of Local Language Original Series at Netflix said: ‘We are incredibly honoured to be entrusted to develop a series based on The Lying Life of Adults. Elena Ferrante books have inspired and captivated audiences in Italy and around the world, and we are thrilled to bring her latest endeavour to the screens of our global audience.
‘We are also excited to continue our partnership with Fandango, and invest in more unique Made In Italy stories that we believe will resonate in Italy and around the world.’
The novel is a coming-of-age tale, focusing on Giovanna, a spoilt only child whose transition into puberty is complicated after she overhears her parents saying she is becoming ‘ugly’ like her estranged aunt. Tormented by the comparison, she finds herself drawn into her mysterious, passionate aunt's world, completely at odds with the polite society she has been brought up in. When she discovers that her parents' relationship is founded on a lie, she begins to practice lying herself, educating herself in the art of being ‘adult’.
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It comes after news that Maggie Gyllenhaal would be adapting another of Ferrante’s novels, The Lost Daughter, into a film for Netflix starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Paul Mescal. It was one of her earlier novels, published in 2006.
It was with The Neapolitan Novels that Ferrante first reached world-wide acclaim. The first in the four-part series, My Brilliant Friend, was adapted into an Italian language TV series by HBO in 2018. The novels follow the lives of dual heroines, Lenu and Lila, from their violent childhoods in the poverty of post-war Naples through to becoming intelligent and independent young women.
The identity of Elena Ferrante has been shrouded in mystery since the publication of her first novel in 1992. There have been many attempts at trying to work out who she is but so far no one has succeeded.
