Zeno Cosini, a rich businessman from Trieste, is told by his psychoanalyst to write his memoirs, and he produces an account of his habits, in particular his failed attempts to give up smoking. He describes his father's death, in which he receives a slap, his marriage to Augusta, the sister of a woman he really wanted, and his love affair, along with his comic business ventures. The analyst, who has published the manuscript out of revenge, says that most of it is lies.
A comic classic of modernism, this book is aimed at readers who like unreliable narrators and the early reception of psychoanalysis. It is entertaining and wise.
Deep, inward-looking, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1923
- Language
- EN
