Author Invisibility Versus Translator Visibility in the Works of Elena Ferrante

Abstract The main goal of the presentation is to address the topic of invisibility—in this case, applied to the role and status of the writer, i.e. Elena Ferrante—compared to the visibility of the translator(s) of her most celebrated works. I consider that the present paper provides a fresh perspective and a shifting paradigm from the more traditional approach to the translator’s invisibility, inviting a dialogue of several voices: publishers, editors, translators, readers, and writer—mediated by the text which serves as the best connector and interpreter of the stories told by the author and skillfully interpreted by a translator. Author Invisibility, in this case, plays an important role in the need to promote the book—the story itself will help circulate the original text. Therefore, the mastery of the translator (visible) will also indirectly promote the author (invisible). To sum up, the presentation sets forth a novel approach to visibility/invisibility both in authorship and translation.