Mensonge et sortilège

Set in a mystical, atmospheric Sicily, Mensonge et sortilège (Menzogna e sortilegio) is Elsa Morante’s sprawling masterpiece of family secrets and doomed passions. The story revolves around the magnetic and narcissistic Edoardo, whose shadow looms over three generations of the De Salvi family.

Narrated by the solitary Elisa, the novel unspools an intimate epic of four main characters trapped in a cycle of unrequited love and self-delusion. Driven by arrogance and despair, they hide behind masks and lies, creating a human constellation defined by fierce jealousy and desperate adoration. It is a profound exploration of how the stories we tell ourselves can both sustain and destroy us.

Author: Elsa Morante

Elsa Morante (1912-1985) was an Italian novelist, poet, and essayist, widely regarded as one of the most important literary figures of the 20th century. Born in Rome, she was a self-taught writer who began publishing short stories in magazines while still a teenager.

She is celebrated for her lyrical, epic style and her ability to blend gritty realism with a sense of myth and magic. In 1948, she became the first woman to win the Premio Strega, Italy’s highest literary honor, for her novel Menzogna e sortilegio.