Elsa Morante’s wild, compelling fiction

Elsa Morante , the author of Lies and Sorcery , was born in Rome in 1912 .

Her upbringing may have provided inspiration for the family dramas that would later appear in her fiction.

Morante became increasingly reclusive, writing only sporadically and destroying much of her work.

She attempted suicide in 1983 and died in Rome of a heart attack two years later .

Elsa Morante's novel Lies and Sorcery is a fairy tale with no need for fairies or magic.

Elisa charts her ancestors’ misfortunes, charting her ancestors' misfortune.

Morante is obsessed with wealth, its power, and its ability to change a person’s relationships.