Zeno's Conscience

Italo Svevo's amusing and splendidly distinctive novel, long recognized as a seminal work of modernism in the style of Joyce and Kafka, and now published in a supple new English translation, transports readers deep into one hilariously hyperactive and continuously self-deluding mind. Zeno Corsini, a neurotic Italian businessman who is writing his confessions at his psychiatrist's request, is the mind in question. Zeno's endless attempts to quit smoking, his pursuit of the beautiful but unresponsive Ada, his unexpected–and unexpectedly happy–marriage to Ada's homely sister Augusta, and his liaison with a shrill-voiced wannabe singer are all chronicled here. Zeno's Conscience is a psychological realism miracle, recounting these mistakes with sarcastic wit and perspicacity that is both unblinking and empathetic.