Will Elena Ferrante outlast Louisa May Alcott's secret alter ego?

As an Italian historian denies claims that she is Elena Ferrante, we look into the history of pseudonymity for clues as to how long the secret will hold

It looks as if the quest to identify the real Elena Ferrante will have to continue, following this week’s firm denial by the historian Marcella Marmo – “Really, I’m not Elena Ferrante” – who had been fingered as the pseudonymous Neapolitan novelist in an Italian newspaper. (It should be noted, though, that there is a precedent for a false denial: Joe Klein initially insisted he was not Anonymous, the author of Primary Colors). So far, Ferrante has eluded the identity detectives for 24 years, already a good score compared with other female authors who have used pseudonyms of either gender.

Related: Elena Ferrante: the global literary sensation nobody knows

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