The Istituto Italiano di Cultura is pleased to present two lectures on the works by internationally known Italian writer and best seller Elena Ferrante. The lectures will be held by Dr. Franco Gallippi who will analyze Ferrante’s works through two different perspectives.
Lecture 1
May 26 from 10:00 to 12:00
The City of Naples in the Works of Elena Ferrante
In the first lecture, Franco focuses on Elena Ferrante’s “Neapolitan Novels”. His reading closely examines the character Lila in relation to the city of Naples. Starting from the two most important legends tied to the foundation of Naples, the myth of the Siren Parthenope and the legend of Virgil as magician and saviour of the city, Franco hopes to give readers a new perspective.
Lecture 2:
June 9 from 10:00 to 12:00
The Works of Elena Ferrante on Screen
In this second lecture, Franco focuses on Elena Ferrante’s “minor works” adapted for the screen: Troubled Love and The Days of Abandonment. He examines the main characters of these novels, both women, and attempts to provide a key to the significance of the odyssey that both characters experience. Moreover, it is interesting to explore to what degree the films are true to such an odyssey.
Tickets: $20 General Public/ $15 IIC Students.
Reservation is required. To register please call 416.921.3802 ext. 228
BIOs.
Elena Ferrante (born 1943) is the pseudonym of an Italian novelist. Ferrante’s books, originally published in Italian, have been translated into English, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish, among other languages. Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels are among her best known works. Ferrante was named one of the 100 most influential people on the planet by Time magazine in 2016.
Franco Gallippi completed his PhD thesis Calvino: Reader of Leopardi and Galileo at the University of Toronto in 2007. He was Assistant Professor of Italian at McMaster University for four years and currently teaches at the Italian Cultural Institute in Toronto. He is working on a book on Italo Calvino and has appeared in books and academic journals in Italy, Canada and the U.S.