by Lily Tuck
Idea of India, An (Moravia), 153
Idiot, The (Dostoevsky), 183
Iliad (Homer), 177–78
“Iliad or The Poem of Force, The” (Weil), 177–79
illusion, in EM’s fiction, 76, 79, 140, 141
I Married You for Happiness (Ginzburg), 107
Indifferenti, Gli (Moravia), 39, 55
Inferno (Dante), 214
Introduction to Psychoanalysis (Freud), 38
Ippolito, Angelica, 160
Isola di Arturo, L’, see Arturo’s Island (Morante)
It Happened in the Park (film), 95
Jaeggy, Fleur, 160
James, Henry, 133, 141
Jews:
Holocaust and, 54
1938 racial laws and, 31, 54, 175
Jones, Judith B., 125
Joyce, James, 133
Kafka, Franz, 35, 49, 98, 134
Kerouac, Jack, 132
“King’s Soldier, The” (Morante), 33
Knopf, Alfred A., 124, 126
Knopf, Blanche, 124–25, 126, 139–40
Koshland, Bill, 177
Kubla Khan (Coleridge), 151
“Ladro dei lumi, Il” (Morante), 48, 140–41
Last Tango in Paris (film), 101
Leopardi, Giacomo, 173n
“Lettere d’amore” (Morante), 34
Letter to a Professor, 168
Levi, Carlo, 30, 64, 90, 148
Lewis, Norman, 91
Life of Moravia (Moravia and Elkann), 53–54, 55, 65
Linder, Erich, 125, 139–40, 177, 194, 211
Living Theater, 157–59, 166
Llera, Carmen, 45, 226
Lo Monaco, Francesco (“false uncle Ciccio”), 11–12, 74
as father of Morante children, 12
love, in EM’s fiction and poetry:
conjugal, 34, 80–81, 120
consuming nature of, 123–24, 140, 207
between parents and children, 34, 76–77, 118, 121, 124, 140, 204–5, 206–8
unrequited, 150
“Love Letter, A” (Morante), 34
Luca (Maria Morante’s son), 17, 22
Lucamante, Stefania, 225
Lucia (EM’s maid), 213, 216, 218, 219
Lukács, Georg, 80
“Luna di miele, sole di fiele” (Moravia), 58–60
Macalousse, 218
Magic Flute, The (Mozart), 123
Magnani, Anna, 103, 136
Malaparte, Curzio, 36, 62
Maledetta benedetta (Marcello Morante), 13–14, 28, 29
Malina, Judith, 157–58
Mansfield, Katherine, 56
“Man without a Temperament, The” (Mansfield), 56
“Man without Character, A” (Morante), 56–57
Manzoni, Alessandro, 134
Maraini, Dacia, 45, 98–99, 137, 215
Marrocco, Davide, 63, 66
Marshall Plan, 92
Marvelous Adventures of Cathy with the Long Tresses and Other Stories, The (Morante), 27, 57
Mastroianni, Marcello, 103
Melville, Herman, 133, 134
Mensogna e sortilegio, see House of Liars (Morante)
Meridiani Mondadori, 224
Meridiano di Roma, 30, 36
Midgette, Allen, 129–30, 138, 160–61, 162, 164
Mie poesie non cambieranno il mondo, Le (Cavalli), 145
Milani, Lorenzo, 168
“Mille città in una” (Morante), 36
Miller, Arthur, 103
Millstein, Gilbert, 126
Mondadori, Alberto, 54
Mondo, Il, 100
Montessori, Maria, 17
Morante, Aldo, 9, 10, 12, 21, 25, 28, 40, 47, 155
EM’s relationship with, 19, 21–22
Morante, Augusto, 10, 19–21, 47
family exclusion of, 11
impotence of, 11, 44
Morante, Daniele, 17–18, 86, 162–63, 164–65, 215
Morante, Elsa:
on animals, 100, 112
ashes of, scattered at Procida, 221–22, 226
attraction to homosexuals of, 161–62
being a boy as enduring wish of, 9, 26, 109, 127
birth of, 7–8
brain surgery of, 213–14
on Capri, 111–12
Carrera pseudonym of, 32–33
cats of, 100–101, 112, 153, 210–11
character of, 1, 105, 132, 141, 160, 162–63, 217, 225
childhood and adolescence of, 8–29
death of, 218–20
dinner circle of, 180
dream diary of, see Diary 1938 dreams of, 113
dress style of, 143, 179, 224
drug use by, 164
early love affairs of, 31–32, 53
first apartment of, 29–30
formal education of, 24, 27
funeral of, 220–21
game-playing of, 25–26, 102, 147, 165, 215
generosity of, 160–61, 180, 199
handwriting of, 113–14
on historical fiction, 134
inferiority feelings of, 40–41, 57, 97, 111, 112
on Italian character, 71
Jewishness of, 175
on life vs. fiction, 220
literary influences and enthusiasms of, 132–33, 134
literary reputation of, 2–3, 5, 223–25
Mansfield translated by, 56
maternal instincts and, 109, 217
medical expenses of, 214
in Mexico, 155
Morante surname kept by, 86
Morrow’s affair with, 129–31
and Morrow’s death, 137, 138–39, 141–42, 154–55, 171
on Mussolini, 70–71
in New York, 126–27, 129, 132
as nonna bambina, 49
old age feared by, 109, 111, 142, 179–80, 209
Pasolini’s relationship with, 146–47, 154–55, 190–91, 224
physical appearance of, 30, 70, 111–12, 159
poverty of, 32, 53–54
prostitution resorted to by, 32
on psychology in fiction, 133–34
at RAI, 99–100
reality concepts of, 36, 75, 123, 147, 150, 152, 166–67, 220
Red Brigades letter of, 200–202
religion and, 135, 147
“Rosso e Bianco” column of, 100
seaside vacations of, 27–28
as self-invented, 9
as self-taught, 24, 27
sexism and, 26–27
social radicalism of, 30
solitude of, 41–42, 199
in Spain, 197, 198
suicide attempt of, 213
three human types identified by, 61, 127
travels of, 131–32
trip to occupied Rome of, 66, 68
truth-telling obsession of, 101, 147, 163, 164–65
2005 tribute to, 224
ulcer surgery of, 216
unloved feelings of, 111, 112
via Archimede studio of, 85, 112, 131
via dell’Oca apartment of, 1–2, 101, 155, 159
at Villa Margherita, 213–16, 218
Visconti’s affair with, 103–5, 112
Weil’s influence on, 135, 147, 179
work habits of, 98–99, 122–23, 180
Morante, Elsa, and Alberto Moravia:
arguments of, 93–94, 106
on Capri, 57–61, 85, 226
different styles of, 127
dinner circle of, 93–94, 101, 107
in flight from Rome, 62–64, 175
improved finances of, 92–93
love affair of, 39, 53–55
marriage of, 55–56
1961 India trip of, 153–54
poverty of, 58
relationship of, 43–44, 97–99, 104–5, 160, 214–15, 225–26
in return to Rome, 73
in Sant’Agata, 64–66, 105
separation of, 137–38
spending spree of, 85
travels of, 85, 132, 138
vi
a dell’Oca apartment of, 85
via Sgambati apartment of, 57, 73
Morante, Elsa, writings of:
abandoned children in, 34
absent father in, 74, 204, 205, 208
in childhood, 8–9, 23, 27
children in, 123
crones in, 47–48, 73
Diary 1938 as source for, 38
early stories in, 32–36
family in, 35
illusion in, 76, 79, 140, 141
love in, see love, in EM’s fiction and poetry narcissism in, 123–24, 207
parody in, 77–78, 171
pathology of characters in, 35, 76, 77, 183, 204, 205–6
prizes awarded to, 84, 86, 211
sexuality in, 76–79, 82, 205
surrealism in, 35
travel as self-exploration in, 36
see also specific works
Morante, Francesco (“true uncle Ciccio”), 11, 14n
Morante, Irma Poggibonsi, 10–13, 34, 40
death of, 21
in Diary 1938, 46–47
EM’s relationship with, 15, 18–19, 29
humiliation of husband by, 11
Jewishness of, 10, 182
as teacher, 13, 17
violent temper of, 14
Morante, Laura, 22, 162
Morante, Marcello, 9, 10, 12, 13–14, 17, 22, 24, 25, 28, 34, 155, 219
EM’s relationship with, 14–15, 18, 19
literary career of, 18
Morante, Maria, 9, 10, 14n, 16–17, 28, 40, 47, 218
EM’s relationship with, 19
Morante, Mario “Antonio,” 9, 37
Morante, Paolo, 9, 14n
Morante family, Monteverde house of, 15–16
Moravia, Alberto, 3, 90, 148, 221
ambiguous sexuality of, 44–45
autobiography of, 53–54, 55, 65
coxitis of, 61
in Diary 1938, 39, 40–44, 45–46, 49
EM described by, 30, 217
EM’s brain surgery and, 213–15
EM’s death and, 219
on euthanasia, 219
on Fascism, 61–62
fiction of, 39, 40, 45, 55, 58–60, 64n, 66–67, 85, 90, 218
illnesses of, 106
on Italian politics, 91–92
Jewishness of, 62, 175
literary reputation of, 3, 39–40, 223
Llera and, 45, 226
Maraini and, 45, 98–99, 137
Morrow and, 130, 136
Pasolini and, 153, 192
poverty of, 54–55
on reality in fiction, 75
as womanizer, 45
Morelli, Rina, 103
Moro, Aldo, 92, 200
Morrow, Bill, 158, 162
death of, 137, 138–39, 141–42, 154–55, 171
EM’s affair with, 129–31
paintings of, 135–36
suicide attempt of, 131
Morton, Frederic, 126–27
Mozart, W. A., 122–23, 133, 200
Muñoz, Casper, 198
Murder in the Dark game, 102, 165
Mussolini, Benito, 31, 53, 62, 70, 175
EM on, 70–71
My Grandmother’s Life (Morante; unpublished), 73–74
My Poems Will Not Change the
World (Cavalli), 145
Mysteries and Smaller Pieces (Living Theater), 157
narcissism, in EM’s fiction, 123–24, 207
New York, N.Y., 126–27, 129, 132
New Yorker, 86–87
New York Review of Books, 193
New York Times, 125–26, 177, 193
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 110
Nightingale of the Catholic Church, The (Pasolini), 149
“Nonna, La” (Morante), 48
nouveau roman, 132
Nuovi Argumenti, 40, 105, 133, 148
Oggi, 34
Olivetti, Adriano, 105
Open City (film), 96
Orlando Furioso (Ariosto), 74
“Our Brother Antonio” (Morante), 8
Oz, Amos, 182
Paiato, Maria, 224
Palazzeschi, Aldo, 84–85
Pannunzio, Mario, 54
Paragone, 170–71
“Parenti serpenti” (Morante), 32–33
parody, in EM’s fiction and poetry, 77–78, 171
Pasolini, Guido, 148
Pasolini, Pier Paolo, 132, 133, 135, 215
childlike nature of, 75
at dinners with EM and Moravia, 101, 107
EM characterized as nonna bambina by, 49
EM’s relationship with, 146–47, 154–55, 190–91, 224
films of, 154–55
funeral of, 191–92
game-playing of, 102, 147
History reviewed by, 189–90
homosexuality of, 146, 154
as model for Manuel in Aracoeli, 207–8
Moravia and, 153, 192
Morrow and, 130–31
murder of, 191, 203, 207
1961 India trip of, 153–54
1968 student protests and, 169
poetry of, 148–49
on Rome, 89
The World Saved by Children reviewed by, 170–71
pathology, of EM’s characters, 35, 76, 77, 183, 204, 205–6
Pavese, Cesare, 84
Penna, Sandro, 75, 130–31, 133, 145–46, 149
Petacci, Clara, 70
Petrarch, 134
Pius XII, pope, 68
Ponti, Carlo, 94
Ponza island, 28
“Popular Songs” (Morante), 172
Postino, Il (film), 115–16
“Prima della classe” (Morante), 34
Prix Médicis Etranger, 211
Procida island, 28, 110, 111, 114–16, 198, 222, 225
Prospettive, 36
Proust, Marcel, 133
psychoanalysis, 38
psychology, in fiction, 133–34
“Qualcuno bussa alla porta” (Morante), 33–34
Quigly, Isabel, 125
racial laws (1938; Italy), 31, 54, 175
Ragazze di Piazza di Spagna, Le (film), 95, 96
ragazzi di vita, 146, 207
RAI, 99–100, 224
reality, EM’s concept of, 36, 75, 123, 147, 150, 152, 166–67, 220
Red Brigades, 200–202
Repubblica, La, 220
Ricchezza, Tonino, 160, 198–99, 210
Rimbaud, Arthur, 98, 116, 131
Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The (Coleridge), 151
Risorgimento, 19
Romana, La (Moravia), 40, 85, 90
Rome:
Allied assault on, 68
Ardeatine Caves of, 68
Bedford on, 90
German occupation of, 62, 68–69, 175
Monteverde district of, 15–16, 19–21
as “open city,” 68, 69
Pasolini on, 89
postwar, 91
San Lorenzo district of, 181
Testaccio district of, 8, 181
Weaver on, 89–90
Rossellini, Roberto, 90, 94, 96
Saba, Linuccia, 160
Saba, Umberto, 133, 145
Sant’Agata, Italy, 64–66
Santa Maria del Popolo church, 220–21
Savino, Alberto, 36
Scent of India, The (Pasolini), 153–54
Schifano, Jean-Noël, 109, 116
Scialle andaluso, Lo (Morante), 67, 140–41, 218
“Scialle andaluso, Lo” (Morante), 140
Scialoja, Toti, 54
Scrapbook (Mansfield), 56
Scuola, La, 29
Secret Game, The (Morante), 35, 140
“Secret Game, The” (Morante), 26, 141
Segre, Alfredo, 69–70
Senza i comforti della religione (Morante; unfinished), 133, 134–35, 138, 141
Serata a colono, La (Morante), 171
Servadio, Gaia, 104
“Servants, The” (Morante), 34
sexism, EM’s early awareness
of, 26–27
sexuality:
of adolescent girls, 48–49
in Diary 1938, 38–39, 48–49
in EM and Moravia’s relationship, 43–44
in EM’s fiction, 76–79, 82, 205
of Moravia, 44–45
