Woman of Rome

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Elsa Morante, born in 1912 to a modest and unconventional family, exhibited an independent spirit and a commitment to writing from a young age, penning her first poem at just two. During World War II, she and her husband, renowned writer Alberto Moravia, fled occupied Rome due to their Jewish heritage and hid in a remote mountain hut. Following the war, Morante gained acclaim with prize-winning novels like Arturo's Island and History, solidifying her status as a leading Italian writer. Lily Tuck's elegant biography captures the vibrant postwar era when Rome was a film capital, highlighting Morante's friendships with filmmakers such as Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luchino Visconti, as well as literary figures like Carlo Levi and Italo Calvino. A charismatic woman, Morante experienced a series of tumultuous love affairs and shared a captivating relationship with Moravia, often compared to the intellectual duo of Beauvoir and Sartre. This well-researched biography, enriched by personal interviews and the cooperation of the Morante Estate, introduces American readers to a woman of fierce intelligence, powerful imagination, and unique talent.