Elena Ferrante: ‘I love upheaval. As a child, I would rush out into a storm’

I am convinced that change has a definite positive side. It helps us realize, for example, that we’ve accumulated a lot of useless things

I have never been particularly frightened of change. I’ve moved house a few times, but I don’t remember particular discomforts, regrets, long periods of maladjustment. A lot of people hate moving; some people think it can shorten your life. But first of all, I love the word – in Italian, trasloco, or “across a place” – which makes me think of the momentum needed for a leap forward, a gathering of energy that propels you towards another place, where there is everything to discover and learn.

I am convinced, in other words, that change has a definite positive side. It helps us realize, for example, that we’ve accumulated a lot of useless things: very little is truly of use. We get attached to objects and spaces, and sometimes people; and find that without them, not only is our life not impoverished, it unexpectedly opens up to new possibilities.

Related: Elena Ferrante: I don’t have much faith in those who say, ‘Here is a truly new book’

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