For the 10th anniversary of Elena Ferrante’s “Neapolitan Novels,” publisher Europa Editions is releasing a special edition of the hailed series, putting the four novels into one volume for the first time.
TODAY.com can exclusively reveal the brand new cover of the special edition, set to publish Oct. 7, 2025.
“My Brilliant Friend” first published in English in 2012, introducing readers to Lila and Elena, or Lenรน, and their complicated friendship from age 6 well into adulthood.
Their relationship is spotlighted in the novel’s three sequels, “The Story of a New Name,” “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” and finally, “The Story of the Lost Child,” which was published in English in 2015. All four were translated from Italian by Ann Goldstein.
Ferrante, an anonymous Italian author, is also known for writing “The Days of Abandonment.” In 2024, the New York Times published a list of the 100 best books of the 21st century, and “My Brilliant Friend” topped the list at No. 1.
Europa Editions Executive Publisher Michael Reynolds said in statement, “This single-volume edition reflects more truly the authorโs conception of the story of Lila and Lenรบ as one long saga.”
“Designed and printed in Italy, this is going to be a beautiful object and a worthy celebration of an unforgettable, history-making work of literature,” Reynolds said.
The special edition consists of 1,248 pages. The new cover is typographic, spotlighting the opening lines of โMy Brilliant Friendโ in bright pink against a black background.
“My friendship with Lila began the day we decided to go up the dark stairs that led, step after step, flight after flight, to the door of Don Achille’s apartment. I remember the violet light of the courtyard, the smells of a warm spring evening,” the cover reads.
Ginevra Rapisardi, who designed the new cover, told TODAY.com in a written interview that she wanted the cover “to speak directly through the text, with a strong and immediate emotional pull.”
Initially, she said she attempted “a few figurative and graphic attempts that didnโt seem entirely convincing.”
“It occurred to me that Elena Ferranteโs true strength lies in her words, and that perhaps there was no need to add anything else,” Rapisardi said. “The opening of ‘My Brilliant Friend’ is wonderful and immediately evokes the tone and intensity of the story. It seemed a perfect โ almost inevitable โ solution.”
The goal of the color scheme was to achieve “clear contrast,” she said.
“It was important that the two colors stood in clear contrast, while still feeling harmonious and balanced โ so that this chromatic dualism could, in some way, reflect the very nature of the novel,” she said.
The special edition notably achieves a very different look from the original covers. The original cover of “My Brilliant Friend” depicted a realistic wedding scene against the backdrop of a body of water. In the image, a bride and groom are walking away, followed by three young flower girls.
The new cover aims to pay homage to the original covers through the colorful edges of the book.
“The image of the Gulf of Naples printed along the edges of the volume, which then continues onto the endpapers, is a clear homage to the original cover of ‘My Brilliant Friend’ and a visual element that evokes the heart of the story โ its relationship with the city of Naples,” Rapisardi said.
Rapisardi said the design team also considered another “iconic” line from the books, “Youโre my brilliant friend, you have to be the best of all, boys and girls,” but noted it was “quite short.” Instead, those words can be found on the endpapers of the special edition, printed over the continued motif of the Gulf of Naples from the book’s edges.
The special edition, which is currently available for preorder for $65, is clothbound, and the words on the cover are “hot-stamped,” meaning they are engraved into the fabric, Rapisardi said.
“The legacy of ‘My Brilliant Friend’ is that of a universal story, one that has spoken to readers around the world with an authentic, profound, and powerful voice,” Rapisardi said. “The new cover aims to convey precisely that: the power of the written word.”
