{"product_id":"zenos-conscience-paperback","title":"Zeno's Conscience - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eItalo Svevo\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eWilliam Weaver\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eElizabeth Hardwick\u003c\/b\u003e (Preface by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLong hailed as a seminal work of modernism in the tradition of Joyce and Kafka, and now available in a supple new English translation, Italo Svevo's charming and splendidly idiosyncratic novel conducts readers deep into one hilariously hyperactive and endlessly self-deluding mind. The mind in question belongs to Zeno Cosini, a neurotic Italian businessman who is writing his confessions at the behest of his psychiatrist. Here are Zeno's interminable attempts to quit smoking, his courtship of the beautiful yet unresponsive Ada, his unexpected-and unexpectedly happy-marriage to Ada's homely sister Augusta, and his affair with a shrill-voiced aspiring singer. Relating these misadventures with wry wit and a perspicacity at once unblinking and compassionate, \u003cb\u003eZeno's Conscience\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eis a miracle of psychological realism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLong hailed as a seminal work of modernism in the tradition of Joyce and Kafka, and now available in a supple new English translation, Italo Svevo's charming and splendidly idiosyncratic novel conducts readers deep into one hilariously hyperactive and endlessly self-deluding mind. The mind in question belongs to Zeno Cosini, a neurotic Italian businessman who is writing his confessions at the behest of his psychiatrist. Here are Zeno's interminable attempts to quit smoking, his courtship of the beautiful yet unresponsive Ada, his unexpected-and unexpectedly happy-marriage to Ada's homely sister Augusta, and his affair with a shrill-voiced aspiring singer. Relating these misadventures with wry wit and a perspicacity at once unblinking and compassionate, Zeno's Conscience\" is a miracle of psychological realism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eItalo Svevo, whose real name was Ettore Schmitz, was born in Trieste in 1861. He was educated in Trieste and in a commercial school in Germany and returned to his birthplace to begin a business career that he pursued successfully until his death. He published three novels (at his own expense): \u003cb\u003eUna vita\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e(1892; English translation: \u003cb\u003eA Life\u003c\/b\u003e), \u003cb\u003eSenilità\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e(1898; English translation: \u003cb\u003eEmilio's Carnival\u003c\/b\u003e;\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ealso translated under the title \u003cb\u003eAs a Man Grows Older\u003c\/b\u003e), and \u003cb\u003eLa coscienza di Zeno\u003c\/b\u003e (1923; English translation: \u003cb\u003eZeno's Conscience\u003c\/b\u003e;\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ealso translated under the title \u003cb\u003eConfessions of Zeno\u003c\/b\u003e). After his first two novels were ignored, Svevo considered giving up writing and devoting himself full-time to business. Aiming to improve his English, he fell under the tutelage of James Joyce, twenty years his junior. Svevo read early portions of \u003cb\u003eDubliners\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003e and Joyce read Svevo's two novels and encouraged him to take up writing again. When Svevo completed \u003cb\u003eZeno's Conscience\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003e Joyce arranged to have it published in France, where Svevo was dubbed \"the Italian Proust.\" He soon emerged from obscurity in Italy, and his rank as a major writer was already established when he died in a car accident in 1928.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 464\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.05 x 8.02 x 5.22 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 04, 2003\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42176677216391,"sku":"9780375727764","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/41be0ef0992b35a0215cb66ae9177976.webp?v=1733391677","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/zenos-conscience-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}