The Translator’s Visibility or the Ferrante-Goldstein Phenomenon

In this essay, I examine the value of Elena Ferrante’s tetralogy, the Neapolitan Novels, from a twofold perspective. On the one hand, I propose that the phenomenon of Ferrante fever and the commercial success of the novels in the United States are culturally valuable, for they have increased the visibility of translated fiction and, by extension, brought to light the work of the translator as well. The popularity of translated fiction is rare in the United States where both publishers and readers tend to overlook serious literature not written originally in English. On the other hand, I suggest that Ferrante’s four novels articulate a compelling model of feminine creativity which credits and displays women’s artistic work