Recommended by Matteo Perper
Svevo's novel takes the form of a memoir; a man writing about his life after being recommended to do so by his psychoanalyst. James Joyce, who was Svevo's friend (and English teacher), helped the novel become popular in France even though Svevo's native Italy did not initially highly regard the work. It was first published in Italian with the title La coscienza di Zeno but it can of course still be enjoyed in English.
The memoir is structured by themes and covers his smoking habit and the death of his father before going on to discuss his marriage and his mistress. The narrative is instantly compelling and witty, and follows Zeno's tragic and romantic life through the powerful first person writing. Nevertheless, Zeno himself declares that all written confessions are lies which forces the reader to question the reliability of his account.
However, by revealing the inconsistencies present between his writing and what did happen, the novelist places a greater emphasis on his feelings and thoughts while writing the memoirs (which he also shares) rather than his actions. And in the end Zeno decides to abandon his doctor and his psychoanalytical ways with the knowledge that it is the very things he remembers most fondly that the doctor is trying to make him forget. So, I advise you, intrepid reader of the book blog, to laugh, love and cry with the wonderful thoughts of Zeno's Conscience.
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