Ferrante book sales up after report on author's identity

NEW YORK (AP) — The alleged revelation of the real name of best-selling author Elena Ferrante has led to a wave of criticism and to a surge in sales for her acclaimed quartet of "Neopolitan" novels.

As of midday Monday, two of the books placed high on Amazon.com's "Movers and Shakers," works that have jumped furthest on the overall best-seller list over the past 24 hours. The sales bounce comes after a report that appeared in The New York Review of Books and other publications citing extensive documentation to show that Ferrante is likely a German-born translator living in Rome. Ferrante's publisher has declined to confirm or deny the findings and asked that Ferrante's privacy be respected. Numerous writers, including Jojo Moyes and Garth Greenwell, have condemned the story as intrusive.