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The pliant protagonist of Italo Svevo's 1923 classic Confessions of Zeno is, among other things, a bumbling businessman, a guilt-ridden adulterer, and a hardcore nicotine addict. What Zeno Cosini most definitely is not is wordless. For the novel is in fact a dense and comically excruciating exercise in self-revelation, undertaken by the narrator as part of his psychoanalytic treatment. Zeno never finds a cure for his affliction, which seems to be a strain of continental angst. Yet his reflections remain as audacious as they are exhaustive--and, much of the time, masterfully absorbing.
As we soon discover, Zeno is a master is the convoluted rationalization. He concocts numerous reasons why his "last cigarette" needn't truly become his last; he strives endlessly to convince himself that he loves his wife; he tirelessly justifies an awkward affair, all the while vacillating between a paralysis of action and a lazy submission. "My resolutions are less drastic and, as I grow older, I become more indulgent to my weaknesses," Zeno proclaims early on. (Later he backpedals even further, confessing that his "resolutions existed for their own sake and had no practical results whatever.") As a last-ditch tactic, he transmutes his disappointments into inevitabilities--an act of creative bookkeeping that becomes steadily creepier as the narrative unfolds.
There are times, to be sure, when Zeno seems to grasp that life isn't merely feints and games, that subterfuge and dark motivation aren't the whole of human transaction. Yet he always retreats back into his extravagant, consoling fantasies. Perhaps that's why Svevo's book still has the power to discomfit: Zeno's ingenious whitewashing of an indifferent world feels alarmingly like the fictions we tell ourselves on a daily basis. --Ben Guterson
Book Description
As a form of therapy, Zeno's doctor advises him to write his memoirs. The patient reconstructs the events in his life into a palatable reality founded upon compromise and rationalization.
Customer Reviews:
Why is this a Great Novel?.......2004-08-20
Important, influential critics, such as V.S. Prtichett, Martin Seymour-Smith and James Woods have declared that "Zeno's Conscience," (formerly published as "The Confessions of Zeno") is not merely one of the best Italian novels of the last century, but one of the best novels of the last century period. A reader looking at this book may wonder why. On the face of it this book provides a comic account of a prosperous Triestan businessman, Zeno Cosini. It starts with his discussion of his inability to quit smoking, an inability fatally flawed by his lack of any desire to do so. We then face a discussion of his relationship with his father and his father's death. We hear about Zeno's courtship and his marriage, how he conducted an adulterous affiar, and how he saw his wife's brother-in-law ruin his business. Overall, these accounts are amusing. Certainly they are filled with the stuff of traditional comedy. Zeno tries to marry one attractive sister, proposes to a second one, and marries the third, plainest one--with whom he is very happy. He carries on a relationship with a would be vocalist who had the most musical voice--but can't really sing. We learn of how this relationship failed because his mistress thought his beautiful sister-in-law was actually his wife. But what makes this novel so superior to to other comic novels? What makes this better than Kingsley Amis, or Neil Simon?
Well it's easy to point out negative factors, since Svevo is not as sentimental or crude as Simon. Although Svevo went out of his way to write in a more everyday style than the more refined cast of contemporary Italian literature, his book flows much better than Amis' awkward contortions. And Zeno is obviously more complex and better characterized than Amis' autobiographical, whining self-pitying protagonists. Instead Svevo presents a deep, rich, subtle psychology for his protagonist. This in itself distinguishes him from Waugh and Catch-22. There have been other pioneers in 20th century fiction, but instead of the complex modernist techniques of Woolf, Joyce, Proust and Kafka, Svevo presents his as a comedy. But it is no idiosyncracy that Joyce encountered Svevo and did so much to ensure his discovery. Although the framing story of the book is Cosini's displeasure with his psychoanalyst, Svevo's account of Cosini's reactions, delays, excuses, subterfuges, and endless rationalizations does resemble the paradoxical nature of Freud at his best. Its use of comic paradox is reminiscent of another contemporary assimilated Jewish writer, Kafka (whom Svevo almost certainly never read). One can only give a few examples. There is of course, the countless notations Svevo makes of his final cigarette. At one point Zeno's father jokes that Zeno is crazy. So Zeno goes and decides to get as a joke an official certificate of sanity. This only leads his father to believe he really is crazy. (Later Zeno's youngest sister-in-law agrees). Zeno comments on how his father read ponderous moralistic works; now that he is older he is inclined to accept his practice: "One may be driven to commit murder by love or hatred, but one can only advocate murder out of sheer wickedness." Later we see the excruciating dilemma where Zeno rages at the doctor who can keep his father alive when he will not recover from the stroke he has had. We see the multiple lies Zeno concocts arounds himself as he covers up an assignation with a visit to a dying acquaintance. And so Svevo's account goes on, and takes a darker tone in its final pages as Zeno finds himself in the middle of World War One, and ends up speculating about the final extinction of humanity.
Zeno's paradox.......2003-01-25
As a great Seinfeld fan previous reviewers drew my attention to this book as "James Joice's favorite Seinfeld episode" and by describing its protagonist as literature's own George Costanza.
Indeed, certain passage from this book put the highly neurotic hero in Seinfeldian situations, but just like the honorable Jason Alexander Zeno Cosini to me was too much of a lightweight to carry a plot on his own. In addition, while an episode like Zeno and the three sisters is very comic, the following chapters involving infidelity and the business relationship with brother-in-law Guido are definitely more tragic than comic. While the resolution in the final chapter helps to put things in some perspective, I certainly did not have the "Aha Erlebnis" that others described.
Yet, putting this book in context it was definitely ahead of its time. Of course one could see this book as "August Strindberg in Trieste", but there is clear grounds to see Zeno as a symbol of Italy before world war one.
So for everyone ready for a tragic-comedic diary of a recovering self-obsessed neurotic this is definitely a book of interest.
Poor Zeno, too bad that you were created before the great Paolo Conte. He would have cured you immediately with his "comme di, la comedy da vie" (how do you put life's comedy into words)!
Literary masterpiece, with a final twist........2002-12-13
"Confessions of Zeno" is the journal of a middle-aged man in Trieste, Italy (in the NE, near Croatia, Slovenia and Austria). He first describes briefly his difficult relationship with his father, and his problems quitting smoking, but then moves to the heart of his narrative, which concerns his life spent with a successful merchant-class family, with whose father he has a business relationship, and whose two daughters he desires a personal relationship. He courts each in turn, eventually marrying one, but keeps a mistress for a time, and comes to befriend the man who marries the other daughter, even entering into a business relationship with him. He manages to have a child, and lives a relatively quiet bourgeois existence.
The problem is, he is utterly detached, self-centered, and hypocritical. When we say "business relationship", we use the term loosely. He despises honest labor. Worse, during the various troubles he has with his friends and family, he cannot see it is his personality which causes them. The book is subtle and clever, describing the story through his eyes, but still making it clear he is usually the trouble-maker.
The journal was supposed to have been written for the sake of a psychologist, who is now publishing it to convince his patient he requires more therapy. For the greater part, it is a generally plain book, with interesting characters who take us through interesting adventures, even if those adventures are made comical by the man writing the tale, unaware what a clown he truly is. At the end of the book, the book's full effect dawns on us, and we finally understand the psychologist perfectly. The ending is quite subtle, and this reviewer was shocked enough to need to re-read the last few pages a few times before actually believing what it seemed to say, but the book's message was that much more effective because of this subtlety. After reading a "plain" book for so many pages, the ending is that much more powerful.
The book's style is clear and engaging, the characters well drawn and endearing, and the stories charming. Many readers will be happy enough to follow this "tragicomic" story for its own sake, but patient and insightful readers will be rewarded with a conclusion that forces them to question what the book had told them all along, and reflect on the meaning of life, love, family, and friendship.
Over-analytical.......2002-07-18
Ever feel like chucking your career, and following your true calling as a psychologist? Then you may be one of the select few who will find pleasure in this book. Every event that transpires, every word that is uttered, every facial expression, must be dissected by the narrator, to the point where the plotting dissolves into mush. There are those, I see, who managed to find humor in the endless babble. But I recommend this book to you, reader, only if you are very, very patient.
Beautiful Life Style.......2001-07-03
I just quit from an engineering consultant coporation last Friday, then probably to be a business owner with my friend later. When I walked around in the biggest bookstore "ESLITE" in Taipei last Sunday, the book " La Conscienza di Zeno" catch my eyes. Then, I decided to buy it without opening it in the bookstore.I have to admit that I really have an enjoyable Sunday afternoon by reading this lovely masterwork. I can't help myself to stop laughing when I read the confession of Zeno's conscience. I think it's pretty similar to read this novel and someone's diary. But, the difference to our diaries or biographies is that Italo Svevo¡¦s writing skill is much better than us (even better than Milan Kundera), and I think the way that Svevo observes and perceives this world and the life is more interesting than ordinary people. In my eyes, I think the best point of this book is that Svevo tried to stand on an ordinary people¡¦s point to describe a real and ridiculous life, and I really appreciate Svevo¡¦s humor.This is an admirable and recommendable book, especially for people who want to involve into this spectacular and ridiculous world. I haven¡¦t read the English translation of this book yet, but I believe it would be worthy to spend 35 dollars to enjoy an enjoyable summer afternoon or night.THE MOST DANGEROUS ENEMY OF ORDINARY PEOPLE IS THE ORDINARINESS.
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Brief Candle, Stoney Bowes, Da Ponte's Last Stand, Confessions of Zeno
Carlo Ardito
Manufacturer: Amber Lane Press Ltd
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ASIN: 1872868231 |
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Confessions of Zeno
Svevo
Manufacturer: NY
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6QR12 |
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Confessions of Zeno
Italo Svevo
Manufacturer: Vintage Books/Random House
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000O86R9G |
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- To Ride Pegasus
- A bit dry for my taste
- A must have for any Anne McCaffrey reader.
- IT WAS
- A Page Flipper
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To Ride Pegasus
Anne Mccaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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ASIN: 0345336038
Release Date: 1986-01-12 |
Book Description
They were four extroardinary women who read minds, healed bodies, diverted disasters, foretold the future--and became pariahs in their own land. A talented, elite cadre, they stepped out of the everyday human race...to enter their own!
Download Description
When a freak accident furnishes solid scientific proof of paranormal mental abilities, the world reacts with suspicion and fear. How can ordinary people coexist with a minority able to read minds, heal with a touch, peer into the future, or move objects with a thought? How can anyone with such power be trusted not to abuse it? Harsh repression seems the only answer.
Gifted with precognitive talent, Henry Darrow has other ideas, foreseeing a future in which the Talents are accepted for what they are and what they can offer their fellow humans. But the road to that future will not be easy. Darrow and the powerful telepath Daffyd op Owen must win the public's trust while overcoming the threat of rogue Talents like Solange Boshe, a young girl so consumed with hatred that her thoughts can kill, and the singer known as Amalda, whose telepathic prowess can unite a thousand strangers in joyful harmony -- or mold them into a bloodthirsty mob...
Customer Reviews:
To Ride Pegasus.......2007-01-10
Another in the series. Liked the concept. Enjoyed the exploration and development of the characters.
A bit dry for my taste.......2006-03-19
I enjoyed the book on a whole and loved the plot ideas in its entirety, but the book progressed a little slowly for my taste, and didn't focus on one main plot line, but rather, several subplots within a larger plot. And although this may sound confusing, it was very easy to comprehend. In general, very good, just not to my taste.
A must have for any Anne McCaffrey reader........2004-05-14
I read the "Rowan" series before I found this book. I actually started reading it only because it was written by Anne McCaffrey (one of the best in the business). Not long after I began reading I realized this was the precursor to the "Rowan" universe. This book was a surprise. A wonderful book written by one of the greatest authors in any universe.
IT WAS.......2003-03-09
One of her good books but the plot sort of jumped around a little.
A Page Flipper.......2001-07-27
Every now and then you come across a book that you had to continue to read. That by the time you finished the book you were thanking the author for writing such a good book, yet cursing her for not writing a longer book. Well that is how it was for me; the problem being that I have neglected my homework over the past two days. If Anne McCaffreyýs other series (Pern, etcý) are like this, I will have to be careful that I have no essays due then. This novel deals with a group of people who have different telepathic ýTalentsý. The strength of the book, besides the smooth writing style, is how the book was divided and the stories they told. The first story is more or less an introduction, then a generation later the other three stories tell us about Ruth and her latent but most interesting power, about the Maggie 'O tragedy and last about Amalda, a broadcasting empath. The only hitch to the book is that it was written in 1973 so for us who have been swamped be the ýX-Filesý, the lack of government conspiracy may not seem just right. Remember when you open the book to set aside a day or two.
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multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
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Pegasus in Flight and to Ride Pegasus 2 Best Selling Novels
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El juego de Ender
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Aliens have attacked Earth twice and have nearly destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has begun breeding military geniuses and training them in the arts of war. Early soldier training takes the form of 'games,' and Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he outmaneuvers each opponent he encounters. He is smart enough to know that time is running out, but he has not yet played a game as intricate as trying to save the planet.
La Tierra se ve amenazada por una raza extraterrestre que se comunica telepáticamente y considera no tener nada en común con los humanos, a los que quiere destruir. Para vencerles es necesario un genio militar y por ello se ha permitido el nacimiento de Ender. Ender es un genio y puede ganar todos los juegos usados por en gobierno para entrenar el ejército a proteger la Tierra. Pero salvar la planeta va a ser el juego más complicado que Ender ha jugado en su vida.
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Water for a Thirsty Land: Israelite Literature and Religion (Fortress Classics in Biblical Studies)
Hermann Gunkel
Manufacturer: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0800634381 |
Book Description
Explores form, tradition, and theology
The chapters in this volume provide the general reader an opportunity to learn from one of the greatest biblical scholars of the twentieth century. Beginning with the most general and moving to focused topics, this work provides a rationale for continuing to engage the Old Testament in the modern world. Combining his research strengths in the literary history of Israel, form criticism, tradition history, and the history of religion, this volume covers narrative, prophecy, and the Psalms.
Rather than artifacts of a former generation, these essays are as fresh as ever in their perspective. To make it more helpful for students, each essay has been supplemented with additional notes and bibliography to show where the discussion has continued since Gunkel. This work will provide an excellent supplementary textbook for courses in the Old Testament or Bible.
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