Could a new Elena Ferrante be waiting in the wings? That question hovered over "Out of Italy," a conference held at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York that brought together publishers, editors, and cultural leaders to examine the state, and the future, of Italian literature in the United States. The timing is telling. Ferrante's novels reshaped American readers' appetite for Italian fiction, and the industry has been searching for ways to build on that momentum ever since.

But as Innocenzo Cipolletta, President of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), noted with candor, the numbers tell a complicated story: "Italy is practically the fourth publishing industry in Europe and sixth in the world, yet we import 3,205 titles a year from the US and export only 214, a clear deficit." Cipolletta was quick to add, though, that Italy's literary landscape has broadened considerably: "Italy is not just made of classics, it's not only Elena Ferrante - as important as she was. The Italian novel has grown a great deal, even thanks to COVID-19, which opened spaces for young voices: romance, crime fiction, gothic, and historical fiction are all flourishing."

For Giuseppe Iannaccone, President of the Centro per il Libro e la Lettura, the path forward demands authenticity over cliché. "Italian literature can spread here in the United States if it is recognizable, if it conveys stories, identities, values - even geographically - that American audiences can identify with," he said. "It's not just a matter of style, but of storytelling: a new vocation, a field vocation, but without stereotypes." On the American publishing side, the emphasis fell squarely on quality over quantity. Michael Reynolds, Executive Editor of Europa Editions - the man who brought Ferrante to the American readers - challenged the habit of measuring success by translation counts alone: "Publishing books is one thing; getting them to readers, earning critical attention, creating meaningful public debate around them, that's something else entirely. What matters is how books are received, and whether they are actually read.”

That spirit of editorial conviction was echoed by Katie Raissain, Executive Editor at Scribner, who recently acquired Italian author Roberta Recchia for the US market. "My decision was based exclusively on the quality of the book, on the story," she said. "I have to feel a deep emotional connection to a work as an editor, so I can champion it with passion, conviction, and heart." Luciano Lanna, Director of the Centro per il Libro e la Lettura, offered perhaps the most forward-looking note: "Ferrante's success opened spaces to bring back translations of authors who had already been translated. We must continue on this path, there are twentieth-century Italian authors still waiting to be discovered." The next Ferrante may already exist. She or he just needs the right story, the right editor, and an American reader ready to listen.