Instagram/@jennifermorrison
The initial literary stop in Jennifer Morrison’s newly initiated literary journey was centered entirely on the magic of storytelling. From her Instagram window of Friday Favorites, the actress beamed her spotlight on Italian author Elena Ferrante’s book In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing. In its very minimalistic style of a cover, the reactions flooded in from fans and fellow book lovers.
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Shooting such a photo is a silent yet forceful gesture toward the introspective engrain of Ferrante’s work. A cover shows a single figure on an immense pale ground against stark black background, casting a very long shadowas if it were depicting the solitary yet powerful act of writing. The book was set atop a yellow ruled notebook by Europa Editions, silently underlining creativity and the written word.
Morrison commented angrily with just one word on the post: Friday Favorites. Elena Ferrante on the pleasures of reading and writing. Her words always remind me why storytelling matters so deeply. There seemed to be a strong consensus in the inquiries and comments below that followers marched to the same drum of emotion.
“My Brilliant Friend is a bestseller too,” exclaimed one user, mentioning the most famous work of Ferrante, while another added, “So cool that you read an Italian author. Have you read My Brilliant Friend? Do you speak any Italian?” Certainly, Morrison’s literary choices were an insurgency of sorts. Another user wrote in Italian, “Amo Jen legge Ferrante-ora la mia vita è completa.” Stating something so genuinely extraordinary truly.
Indeed, this Italian connection was not the only aspect that drummed up conversation; another remarked on the universality of storytelling: “It’s all about the stories we tell.” One enthusiastic supporter of the act championed the idea of a Morrison book club: “@thebookshelfof_jmo.”
An overly enthusiastic Ferrante fan even joked, “My name is Elena and I’m Italian 🥹 brooo ahahah,” showing how a book recommendation might spread joy (and chuckles).
Creatives were also attracted by Morrison’s post. An enlightened soul, who might even be a colleague, wrote about an forthcoming podcast episode on the healing power of stories, tagging several people and dubbing Ferrante’s book a must-read.
And, with that, ferry-to-Ferrante was bouncing on its feet and spilling its own reading experiences. One user wrote without any doubt, “I read Elena’s My Brilliant Friend series. I need to read this one!” tagging Morrison, unable to contain his hunger for books.
Indeed this passion for Ferrante and her oeuvre is life-giving for Morrison as it is for a huge number of colleagues. Whether it’s the emotional construct Ferrante projects with her ink or simply sharing the pleasure of sharing a good read, this post is a classic example of gathering people united by storytelling.
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Could Morrison go deep into Ferrante studies? Would her book club ever put In the Margins on the docket? Only time will tell, but for the moment, it feels refreshing to know that a celebrity has given credence to literature and started a chain of conversations.
You can view the original article HERE.
