Elsa Morante

Italian writer whose talent was awarded in 1957 for "Arthur Island." Morante’s works were known for their mythical and epic quality, and many of her stories focused on the struggle that occurs as a child grows into the realities of adulthood. She was the daughter of a Sicilian father and Emilian mother, and at age 18, she left home. Although she never completed her formal education, she displayed her literary talent from an early age, and through her marriage to Moravia, she associated with the great Italian writers and intellectuals of the day. In 1948, her first novel, "House of Liars," was published. Not a prolific writer, she published several short stories, a volume of essays and some poetry before she wrote "The Story" in 1974. Described as the novel of the century, it reaffirmed her personal ideology, denying any possibility of compassionate politics and seemingly rejecting any final hope for humanity. In 1937, while living with an older man and being involved with a younger lover, she met Moravia. He was attracted to her personality and saw her natural potential as a writer. Although he later admitted that he "loved her" but was "never in love," they married in 1941; they divorced in 1963. In an effort to relieve a brain condition, Morante had brain surgery on 5/25/1983, but it failed, leaving her partially but permanently paralyzed. She attempted suicide with pills and gas on 7/04/1983 but failed, and she lived until 11/25/1985. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less