"... for those who are unable to combine memories with actual happy encounters, this memory game can prove very dangerous, since once set in motion and never requited, the memories become seductive phantoms composed of enchantments and gloom." #NYRBWomen25 #Morante #LiesAndSorcery

#NYRBWomen25

"Alas, these mongrel gratifications are all that our father Adam has left to us, his heirs."

I am in awe of Morante. This excerpt is so layered and complex, summarizing the difficult emotions of the previous section.

#LiesandSorcery is uncomfortably challenging and brilliant!

3/3

Elsa Morante’s Lies and Sorcery (NYRB Classics edition, translated by Jenny McPhee) on a side table, with a potted plant in the background

Boy, Eduardo is a real candidate for literary character I hate most. #NYRBWomen25 #LiesandSorcery

#NYRBWomen25 #LiesandSorcery I have questions after Morante's enigmatic first chapter about our main character, why is she so drawn to her benefactress, how did she remain so detached from the frenzied, illicit life happening in her home, & what in the world will this solitary creature have to say?