Contents
At a time when authors go on book tours, sit on talk shows and tell their stories on social media, Elena Ferrante does the opposite. She shows almost nothing of herself. In “The Art of Worldly Wisdom,” Baltasar Gracián advises against revealing yourself completely, because what is hidden commands respect and preserves freedom. Ferrante’s path shows how this principle of Worldly Wisdom works today and where it reaches its limits.
A debut without a face
Situation
In 1992, the novel “L’amore molesto” (in English, “Troubling Love”) is published in Italy. The author calls herself Elena Ferrante. Who is behind the name remains open. Ferrante later explains this with the idea that books, once they are written, no longer need their authors. In an interview with The Paris Review, she also names shyness as an original reason.
Link to the principle
Ferrante makes a decision about how she presents herself before anyone demands that she present herself. She determines what the public gets from her: the text, not the person. Worldly wisdom begins with deliberately choosing what you show instead of leaving it to chance or to other people’s expectations.
Answers in writing only
Situation
Ferrante gives no in-person interviews. She answers only in writing, usually through her publisher. Her letters, answers and thoughts on writing appear in 2003 in the volume “La Frantumaglia,” later expanded. She says anonymity is a precondition for her work.
Link to the principle
Written answers give her control over every word. She is not caught off guard, not pinned to an image, not drawn into conversations she does not want to have. Gracián advises not spending yourself and not giving everything to everyone. Ferrante puts this into practice consistently.
Worldwide success
Situation
Between 2011 and 2014, the four Neapolitan Novels are published in Italy, beginning with “My Brilliant Friend.” They tell the story of the friendship between Lila and Lenù, both born in Naples in 1944. The novels become bestsellers in many countries. In 2016, the last volume is shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, and in the same year Time magazine names Ferrante one of the 100 most influential people. Starting in 2018, a television series produced by HBO with Italian broadcasters airs. In 2024, The New York Times puts “My Brilliant Friend” at number one on its list of the best books of the 21st century.
Link to the principle
The secret did not prevent the success; it accompanied it. Readers talk about the books rather than about the author. At the same time, the unknown arouses curiosity. Gracián knew that what you cannot entirely see through commands more respect than what lies open.
The 2016 unmasking
Situation
In October 2016, the journalist Claudio Gatti publishes an investigation that uses real estate and payment records to name a particular person as the author. Many critics condemn the publication as an invasion of privacy; the writer Jeanette Winterson calls it malicious and sexist in The Guardian. A text analysis at the University of Padua in 2017 points to a different author. To this day, none of the theories has been confirmed.
Link to the principle
Worldly wisdom does not protect you from other people’s curiosity. If you hide something, you attract people who want to uncover it. Ferrante responds not with a statement or an appearance but with silence. Precisely because of this, the secret remains effective: she does not let those who want to force her hand dictate how she presents herself.
What concealment protects
Situation
Ferrante keeps writing, publishes new books and essays and sticks to her course. Her novels are often about women who resist the labels others attach to them. Her silence about herself fits these themes.
Link to the principle
Ferrante’s reticence is not deception. She lies to no one; she simply withholds what matters to her. That is the bright side of worldly wisdom: not showing everything in order to protect freedom, work and dignity. If you deliberately limit how much of yourself you show, you keep more control over your work.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Decide deliberately what you show of yourself before others decide it for you.
- Written answers give you control over every word.
- Let your work speak where your person would be a distraction.
- Reticence arouses curiosity; be prepared for people who want to uncover everything.
- Concealment is wise as long as it protects and does not deceive.
Summary
Since 1992, Elena Ferrante has published under a pseudonym, given only written interviews and never shown her face. Her Neapolitan Novels became a worldwide success, and even a controversial investigation to unmask her in 2016 brought no confirmation. Ferrante shows Baltasar Gracián’s worldly wisdom in its honest form: not revealing everything, in order to protect her own freedom and her work, without deceiving anyone.
Sources
- Elena Ferrante: Frantumaglia. Mein geschriebenes Leben (in German). Berlin: Suhrkamp 2019.
- Baltasar Gracián: Handorakel und Kunst der Weltklugheit (in German). Huesca 1647, German translation by Arthur Schopenhauer.
