Ferrante’s novels about women like Lila and Lenu are a potent reminder that working-class women’s perspectives are out there, even if we can’t always hear each other, even if we’re sometimes embarrassed and alone, even if we feel exasperated by a system that valorizes experiences and credentials that we can never claim.

At VIDA, Valeria Popp writes about her personal “Ferrante fever” as a validating experience for her based not just on Ferrante’s understanding of women, but also of the working class.