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Absence (Elena Ferrante). 2016. Hand embroidery on linen. 21.25 x 15.25 in. (54 x 38.7 cm)

 

ELENA FERRANTE          

 

                             I didn’t choose anonymity; the books are
signed. Instead, I chose absence. Feeling the burden of
exposing myself in public, I wanted to detach myself from
the story. I wanted the books to assert themselves without
my patronage. It seems natural that bad or mediocre books
by someone with a reputation in the media deserve more
attention than books written by someone who is no one. But,
what counts most for me is to preserve a creative space
that seems full of possibilities. The structural absence of
the author affects the writing in a way that I’d like to
continue to explore.