那年夏天的下午，10岁的小女孩艾琳娜跟着老师在补习拉丁语。她小学快毕业了，如果拉丁语考试不过关，她就无法上中学。本来家里是不打算让她继续上学的，家里很贫穷，爸爸是搬运工，妈妈是瘸脚的家庭主妇，下面还有三个弟弟妹妹。可以，艾琳娜的老师强行干涉了，因为艾琳娜是一个天分奇佳又刻苦的孩子。在妈妈的大哭大闹和爸爸的一顿暴打之后，家里人还是妥协了，借钱让艾琳娜补习拉丁语。即使补习这样来之不易，艾琳娜却无法集中注意力，她心心念念想着另一件事。她最好的朋友 - 厉娜，一个来自同样贫穷的家庭却不允许继续上学的小女孩 - 最近写了一个童话故事，艾琳娜想把朋友写的故事给老师看，帮她把故事发表，这样厉娜就会变得有钱了，这样她们就可以一起继续上学了。

一向鼓励学生的老师这次却反常了。艾琳娜小心翼翼的把童话故事交给她，老师却一眼都没有看，好像这东西不存在一样。艾琳娜胆怯地请老师读。
老师想了片刻，放下笔，很正式的问她，”艾莉娜，你知道什么是庶民吗？“
老师继续说，”如果人做了庶民，那他们和他们的子孙后代就是命如草芥，一文不值。“
10岁的艾琳娜点了点头，但是她并不知道什么是庶民。

6年过去了。艾琳娜生长的贫民区还是没有变，还是那么贫穷，还是那么肮脏，到处都是暴力，背叛和绝望。人们用当地口语嚷嚷的表达粗浅的想法，连本国的意大利语都说的结结巴巴。16岁的艾琳娜却像一个陌生人一样生活在那里。她不仅以全校第一的成绩完成了中学，还进入了高中，她不仅学习拉丁语，英语，还学习上层人士重视的希腊语和古典文学。她可以清晰的表达自己的想法，说起话来头头是道，社区中的成年人意见不合时，只要艾琳娜开口，没有不一一被说服的。

那一天，是比她更有天赋却没能继续上学的好朋友厉娜的结婚日。就是那天，被所有的亲戚朋友和邻居包围着，她却无法融入。她跟他们一起长大，他们的世界就是艾琳娜的世界。可是艾琳娜的日常生活却走上了另外一条道路。
艾琳娜想“已经有六年了，我所经历的生活是他们所不了解的，我在这条道路上一帆风顺，所向无敌。和他们在一起，我平时学的东西一点也用不上，我必须克制自己、降低我自己来适应他们。”

那个时候，艾琳娜突然意识到了什么是庶民 - “我们就是庶民，庶民就是争抢食物和酒，就是为了上菜的先后次序、服务好坏而争吵，就是那面肮脏的地板——服务员正在上面走来走去，就是那些越来越粗俗的祝酒词。庶民就是我的母亲，她喝了酒，现在整个背都靠着我父亲的肩膀上。我父亲一本正经，我母亲张着大嘴在笑，因为佛罗伦萨的古董商人讲了一个淫秽的段子。”

《才华横溢的朋友》是意大利作家“隐身作家”费兰特（之所以称为隐身作家，是因为迄今为止没有人知道作家的真实身份）"那不勒斯四部曲"中的第一部。书里写了两个互相扶持又互相掠夺的女孩自小在那不勒斯的贫民区成长的故事，跨度大约60年。这样的一本小说，当然覆盖了很多主题，但其中一个突出的故事便是关于因出生而带来的身份挣扎。

This book covers many themes and one of them is surely about getting away from poverty. Poverty, in this sense, doesn’t just mean the state of lacking money, but an existence filled with betrayals, violence, shattered dreams and aspirations, and the more importantly, the forgotten desire to be better. In Lila and Elena’s eyes, they saw poverty in the image of the neighborhood that surrounds them, and both of them, precocious and sensitive, were aching to escape.

The first idea that came to them is to write a book. Have it published and earn plenty of money from it. Lila was certain she would become rich from writing the book and she would bestow the money to her family and everyone would be happy. Becoming happy was the ultimate purpose, and the money was just a mean to her. Of course, it didn’t happen as planned. It was a foolish and daring dream of a child. However, years later, she did acquire money, not by writing a book, not by her own intelligent effort, but by marrying a well-to-do grocer. She acquired money through someone, by trading her youth and beauty.

Money indeed changed her circumstance. After getting married, Instead of tattered cloth, she dressed and spent lavishly. She became the owner of several stores and she moved in a new apartment away from the old neighborhood. Her family was pulled out of poverty because of her marriage. But, none became happier.
For Lila, money didn’t make life better. Violence, remained; betrayal, occurred; Self-worthiness, crushed; dreams, unrecognized; her brilliance, hidden.

看不懂了