Alberto Moravia
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Alberto Moravia ( , ; born Alberto Pincherle ; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990) was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern
sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wit ...
,
social alienation Social alienation is a person's feeling of disconnection from a group whether friends, family, or wider society to which the individual has an affinity. Such alienation has been described as "a condition in social relationships reflected by (1) ...
and
existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and val ...
. Moravia is best known for his
debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
'' Gli indifferenti'' (''The Time of Indifference'' 1929) and for the anti-fascist novel ''Il Conformista'' ('' The Conformist'' 1947), the basis for the film '' The Conformist'' (1970) directed by
Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...
. Other novels of his adapted for the cinema are ''Agostino'', filmed with the same title by Mauro Bolognini in 1962; ''
Il disprezzo ''Il disprezzo'', known in English as ''Contempt'' or ''A Ghost At Noon'', is an Italian existential novel by Alberto Moravia that came out in 1954. It was the basis for the 1963 film '' Le Mépris'' by Jean-Luc Godard. Plot Young Riccardo Molt ...
'' (''A Ghost at Noon'' or ''Contempt''), filmed by
Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...
as ''Le Mépris'' ('' Contempt'' 1963); ''La Noia'' (''Boredom''), filmed with that title by Damiano Damiani in 1963 and released in the US as ''
The Empty Canvas ''The Empty Canvas'' is a 1963 Italian drama film directed by Damiano Damiani. The screenplay written by Damiani, Tonino Guerra and Ugo Liberatore is based on the best-selling novel ''La noia'' by Alberto Moravia. The film stars Horst Buchholz ...
'' in 1964 and '' La ciociara'', filmed by
Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the Italian neorealism, neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Shoeshine (film), Sciuscià ...
as '' Two Women'' (1960). Cédric Kahn's '' L'Ennui'' (1998) is another version of ''La Noia''. Moravia once remarked that the most important facts of his life had been his illness, a tubercular infection of the bones that confined him to a bed for five years and
Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...
, because they both caused him to suffer and do things he otherwise would not have done. "It is what we are forced to do that forms our character, not what we do of our own free will." Moravia was an atheist. His writing was marked by its factual, cold, precise style, often depicting the malaise of the ''
bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...
''. It was rooted in the tradition of nineteenth-century narrative, underpinned by high social and cultural awareness. Moravia believed that writers must, if they were to represent reality, "assume a moral position, a clearly conceived political, social, and philosophical attitude" but also that, ultimately, "A writer survives in spite of his beliefs". Between 1959 and 1962 Moravia was president of PEN International, the worldwide association of writers.


Biography


Early years

Alberto Pincherle (the pen name "Moravia" was a surname linked to the family) was born in Via Sgambati in Rome, Italy, to a wealthy middle-class family. His Jewish
Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
father, Carlo, was an architect and a painter. His
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Anconitan mother, Teresa Iginia de Marsanich, was of
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...
n origin. His family had interesting twists and developed a complex cultural and political character. The brothers Carlo and
Nello Rosselli Sabatino Enrico 'Nello' Rosselli (Rome, 29 November 1900 – Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, 9 June 1937) was an Italian Socialist leader and historian. Biography Rosselli was born in Rome to a prominent Jewish family. His parents were Giuseppe Emanuele "Jo ...
, founders of the
anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers wer ...
resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...
Giustizia e Libertà Giustizia e Libertà (; en, Justice and Freedom) was an Italian anti-fascist resistance movement, active from 1929 to 1945.James D. Wilkinson (1981). ''The Intellectual Resistance Movement in Europe''. Harvard University Press. p. 224. The mov ...
, murdered in France by
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...
's order in 1937, were paternal cousins and his maternal uncle,
Augusto De Marsanich Augusto De Marsanich (13 April 1893 – 10 February 1973) was an Italian fascist politician and the second leader of the Italian Social Movement (MSI). Early years De Marsanich was born in Rome. He enlisted in the Italian Army in 1916 and saw ac ...
, was an undersecretary in the
National Fascist Party The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...
cabinet. Moravia did not finish conventional schooling because, at the age of nine, he contracted
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
of the bone, which confined him to bed for five years. He spent three years at home and two in a sanatorium near
Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomites, Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite (river), ...
, in north-eastern Italy. Moravia was an intelligent boy, and devoted himself to reading books and some of his favourite authors were
Giosuè Carducci Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...
,
Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was som ...
,
Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
,
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the Modernism, modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important ...
,
Ludovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...
, Carlo Goldoni,
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
,
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
,
Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
and
Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of ...
. He learned French and German and wrote poems in French and Italian. In 1925 at the age of 18, he left the sanatorium and moved to
Bressanone Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic an ...
. During the next three years, partly in Bressanone and partly in Rome, he began to write his first novel, ''Gli indifferenti'' (''Time of Indifference''), published in 1929. The novel is a realistic analysis of the moral decadence of a middle-class mother and two of her children. In 1927, Moravia met Corrado Alvaro and
Massimo Bontempelli Massimo Bontempelli (12 May 1878 – 21 July 1960) was an Italian poet, playwright, novelist and composer. He was influential in developing and promoting the literary style known as magical realism. Life Massimo Bontempelli was born in Como ...
and started his career as a journalist with the magazine ''900''. The journal published his first short stories, including ''Cortigiana stanca'' (''The Tired Courtesan'' in French as ''Lassitude de courtisane'', 1927), ''Delitto al circolo del tennis'' (''Crime at the Tennis Club'', 1928), ''Il ladro curioso'' (''The Curious Thief'') and ''Apparizione'' (''Apparition'', both 1929).


''Gli indifferenti'' and Fascist ostracism

''Gli indifferenti'' was published at his own expense, costing 5,000
Italian lira The lira (; plural lire) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was first introduced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different states that would eventually ...
. Literary critics described the novel as a noteworthy example of contemporary Italian narrative fiction. The next year, Moravia started collaborating with the newspaper ''
La Stampa ''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. History and profile The paper was fou ...
'', then edited by author Curzio Malaparte. In 1933, together with Mario Pannunzio, he founded the literary review magazines ''Caratteri'' (''Characters'') and '' Oggi'' (''Today'') and started writing for the newspaper '' Gazzetta del Popolo''. The years leading to World War II were difficult for Moravia as an author; the
Fascist regime Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and th ...
prohibited reviews of ''Le ambizioni sbagliate'' (1935), seized his novel ''La mascherata'' (''Masquerade'', 1941) and banned ''Agostino'' (''Two Adolescents'', 1941). In 1935 he traveled to the United States to give a lecture series on
Italian literature Italian literature is written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian, includin ...
. ''L'imbroglio'' (''The Cheat'') was published by Bompiani in 1937. To avoid Fascist censorship, Moravia wrote mainly in the surrealist and allegoric styles; among the works is ''Il sogno del pigro'' (''The Dream of the Lazy''). The Fascist seizure of the second edition of ''La mascherata'' in 1941, forced him to write under a pseudonym. That same year, he married the novelist
Elsa Morante Elsa Morante (; 18 August 191225 November 1985) was an Italian novelist, poet, translator and children's books author. Her novel '' La storia'' (''History'') is included in the Bokklubben World Library List of 100 Best Books of All Time. Life an ...
, whom he had met in 1936. They lived in
Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has be ...
, where he wrote ''Agostino''. After the
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
of September 8, 1943, Moravia and Morante took refuge in
Fondi Fondi ( la, Fundi; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and '' comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. As of 2017, the city had a population of 39,800. The city has experienced steady popu ...
, on the border of
province of Frosinone The Province of Frosinone ( it, Provincia di Frosinone) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy, with 91 '' comuni'' (singular: ''comune''; see Comuni of the Province of Frosinone). Its capital is the city of Frosinone. It has an area o ...
, a region to which fascism had arbitrarily imposed the name "ciociaria"; the experience inspired '' La ciociara'' (''The ciociara Woman'', 1957).


Return to Rome and national popularity

In May 1944, after the liberation of Rome, Alberto Moravia returned. He began collaborating with Corrado Alvaro, writing for important newspapers such as ''Il Mondo'' and '' Il Corriere della Sera'', the latter publishing his writing until his death. After the war, his popularity steadily increased, with works such as ''La Romana'' (''The Woman of Rome'', 1947), ''La Disubbidienza'' (''Disobedience'', 1948), ''L'Amore Coniugale e altri racconti'' (''Conjugal Love and other stories'', 1949) and ''Il Conformista'' (''The Conformist'', 1951). In 1952 he won the Premio Strega for ''I Racconti'' and his novels began to be translated abroad and ''La Provinciale'' was adapted to film by Mario Soldati; in 1954 Luigi Zampa directed ''La Romana'' and in 1955 Gianni Franciolini directed ''I Racconti Romani'' (''The Roman Stories'', 1954) a short collection that won the Marzotto Award. In 1953, Moravia founded the literary magazine ''Nuovi Argomenti'' (''New Arguments''), which featured
Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...
among its editors. In the 1950s, he wrote prefaces to works such as Belli's ''100 Sonnets'', Brancati's ''Paolo il Caldo'' and
Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de ...
's ''Roman Walks''. From 1957, he also reviewed and criticised cinema for the weekly magazines ''
L'Europeo ''L'Europeo'' was a prominent Italian weekly news magazine launched on 4 November 1945, by the founder-editors Gianni Mazzocchi and Arrigo Benedetti.
'' and ''
L'Espresso ''L'Espresso'' () is an Italian weekly news magazine. It is one of the two most prominent Italian weeklies; the other is ''Panorama''. Since 2022 it has been published by BFC Media. History and profile One of Italy's foremost newsmagazines, '' ...
''. His criticism is collected in the volume ''Al Cinema'' (''At the Cinema'', 1975).


''La noia'' and later life

In 1960, Moravia published ''La Noia'' (''Boredom'' or ''The Empty Canvas''), the story of the troubled sexual relationship between a young, rich painter striving to find sense in his life and an easygoing girl in Rome. Becoming known as one of his most famous novels, it won the
Viareggio Prize The Viareggio Prize ( it, Premio Viareggio, italic=no or ) is an Italian literary prize, first awarded in 1930. Named after the Tuscan city of Viareggio, it was conceived by three friends, , Carlo Salsa and Leonida Rèpaci, to rival the Milanese ...
. An adaptation was filmed by Damiano Damiani in 1962. Another adaptation of the book is the basis of Cédric Kahn's film ''L'ennui'' (''The Ennui'', 1998). Several films were based on his other novels: in 1960,
Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the Italian neorealism, neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Shoeshine (film), Sciuscià ...
adapted ''La Ciociara'', starring
Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
; in 1963
Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...
filmed ''Il Disprezzo'' ('' Contempt'') and in 1964, Francesco Maselli filmed ''Gli Indifferenti'' (1964). In 1962, Moravia and Elsa Morante parted, but never divorced. He went to live with the young writer
Dacia Maraini Dacia Maraini (; born November 13, 1936) is an Italian writer. Maraini's work focuses on women's issues, and she has written numerous plays and novels. She has won awards for her work, including the Formentor Prize for ''L'età del malessere'' ...
and concentrated on theatre. In 1966, he, Maraini and
Enzo Siciliano Enzo Siciliano (27 May 1934 – 9 June 2006) was an Italian writer, playwright, literary critic and intellectual. Siciliano was born in Rome. He was collaborator of Alberto Moravia, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Elsa Morante and many other famous writ ...
founded ''Il Porcospino'', which staged works by Moravia, Maraini, Carlo Emilio Gadda and others. In 1967 Moravia visited China, Japan and
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
. In 1971 he published the novel ''Io e lui'' (''I and He'' or ''The Two of Us'') about a screenwriter, his independent penis and the situations to which he thrusts them and the essay ''Poesia e romanzo'' (''Poetry and Novel''). In 1972 he went to Africa, which inspired his work ''A quale tribù appartieni?'' (''Which Tribe Do You Belong To?''), published in the same year. His 1982 trip to Japan, including a visit to
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...
, inspired a series of articles for ''L'Espresso'' magazine about the
atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
. The same theme is in the novel ''L'Uomo che Guarda'' (''The Man Who Looks'', 1985) and the essay ''L'Inverno Nucleare'' (''The Nuclear Winter''), including interviews with some contemporary principal scientists and politicians. The short story collection, ''La Cosa e altri racconti'' (''The Thing and Other Stories''), was dedicated to Carmen Llera, his new companion (forty-five years his junior), whom he married in 1986, after Morante's death in November 1985. In 1984, Moravia was elected to the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...
as member from the
Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) ...
. His experiences at
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...
, which ended in 1988, are recounted in ''Il Diario Europeo'' (''The European Diary''). In 1985 he won the title of European Personality. Moravia was a perennial contender to the
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
, having been nominated 13 times between 1949 and 1965. In September 1990, Alberto Moravia was found dead in the bathroom of his Lungotevere apartment, in Rome. In that year, Bompiani published his autobiography, ''Vita di Moravia'' (''Life of Moravia'').


Themes and literary style

Moral aridity, the hypocrisy of contemporary life and the inability of people to find happiness in traditional ways such as love and marriage are the regnant themes in the works of Alberto Moravia. Usually, these conditions are pathologically typical of middle-class life; marriage is the target of works such as ''Disobedience'' and ''L'amore coniugale'' (''Conjugal Love'', 1947). Alienation is the theme in works such as ''Il disprezzo'' (''Contempt'' or ''A Ghost at Noon'', 1954) and ''La noia'' (''The Empty Canvas'') from the 1950s, despite observation from a rational-realistic perspective. Political themes are often present; an example is ''La Romana'' (''The Woman of Rome'', 1947), the story of a prostitute entangled with the Fascist regime and with a network of conspirators. The extreme sexual realism in ''La noia'' (''The Empty Canvas'', 1960) introduced the psychologically experimental works of the 1970s. Moravia's writing style was highly regarded for being extremely stark and unadorned, characterised by elementary, common words in an elaborate syntax. A complex mood is established by mixing a proposition constituting the description of a single psychological observation mixed with another such proposition. In the later novels, the inner monologue is prominent.


Works

* ''La cortigiana stanca'' (1927) (''Tired Courtesan'', trans. Bernard Wall (1954)) * '' Gli indifferenti'' (1929) (''The Time of Indifference'', trans. Angus Davidson (1953), Tami Calliope (2000)) * ''Inverno di malato'' (1930) (''A Sick Boy's Winter'', trans. Baptista Gilliat Smith (1954)) * ''Le ambizioni sbagliate'' (1935) * ''La bella vita'' (1935) * ''L'imbroglio'' (1937) (''The Imbroglio'', trans. Bernard Wall (1954)) * ''I sogni del pigro'' (1940) * ''La caduta'' (1940) * ''La mascherata'' (1941) (''The Fancy Dress Party'', trans. Angus Davidson (1947)) * ''La cetonia'' (1943) * ''L'amante infelice'' (1943) (''The Unfortunate Lover'', trans. Bernard Wall (1954)) * ''Agostino'' (1945) (''Agostino'', trans.
Beryl de Zoete Beryl Drusilla de Zoete, also known as Beryl de Sélincourt (July 1879 – 4 March 1962) was an English ballet dancer, orientalist, dance critic, and dance researcher. She is also known as a translator of Italo Svevo and Alberto Moravia. Born ...
(1947), Michael F. Moore (2014)) * ''L'epidemia'' (1944), short stories * ''Ritorno al mare'' (1945) (''Back to the Sea'', trans. Bernard Wall (1954)) * ''L'ufficiale inglese'' (1946) (''The English Officer'', trans. Bernard Wall (1954)) * ''La romana'' (1947) ('' The Woman of Rome'', trans. Lydia Holland (1949), Tami Calliope (1999)) * ''L'amore coniugale'' (1947) ('' Conjugal Love: a novel'', trans. Angus Davidson (1951), Marina Harss (2007)) * ''Il conformista'' (1947) ('' The Conformist'', trans. Angus Davidson (1951), Tami Calliope (1999)) * ''La disubbidienza'' (1950) (''Disobedience'', trans.
Beryl de Zoete Beryl Drusilla de Zoete, also known as Beryl de Sélincourt (July 1879 – 4 March 1962) was an English ballet dancer, orientalist, dance critic, and dance researcher. She is also known as a translator of Italo Svevo and Alberto Moravia. Born ...
(1952)) * ''Luna di miele, sole di fiele'' (1952) (''Bitter Honeymoon'', trans.
Frances Frenaye Frances Frenaye (1908-1996) was an American translator of French and Italian literature.Eric Pace '' The New York Times'', April 15, 1998. She translated work by writers including Balzac, Carlo Levi, Ignazio Silone and Elie Wiesel. Works * Natal ...
(1954)) * ''
Racconti romani ''Racconti romani'' (''Roman Tales'') is a series of sixty-one short stories written by the Italian author, Alberto Moravia. Written and published initially in the Italian newspaper, '' Il Corriere della Sera'', they were published as a collectio ...
'' (1954) (''Roman Tales'', trans. Angus Davidson (1954)) * ''
Il disprezzo ''Il disprezzo'', known in English as ''Contempt'' or ''A Ghost At Noon'', is an Italian existential novel by Alberto Moravia that came out in 1954. It was the basis for the 1963 film '' Le Mépris'' by Jean-Luc Godard. Plot Young Riccardo Molt ...
'' (1954) (''Contempt'' or ''A Ghost at Noon'', trans. Angus Davidson (1954)) * ''La ciociara'' (1957) ('' Two Women'', trans. Angus Davidson (1958)) * '' Beatrice Cenci'' (1958) (''Beatrice Cenci'', trans. Angus Davidson (1965)), a play * ''Nuovi racconti romani'' (1959) (''More Roman Tales'', trans. Angus Davidson (1963)) * ''La noia'' (1960) (''The Empty Canvas'' or ''Boredom'', trans. Angus Davidson (1961)) * ''L'automa'' (1962) (''The Fetish'', trans. Angus Davidson (1964)), short stories * ''L'uomo come fine e altri saggi'' (1964) (''Man as an End: A Defense of Humanism: Literary, Social and Political Essays'', trans. Bernard Wall (1965)) * ''L'attenzione'' (1965) (''The Lie'', trans. Angus Davidson (1966)) * ''Una cosa è una cosa'' (1967) (''Command, and I Will Obey You'', trans. Angus Davidson (1969)), short stories * ''La rivoluzione culturale in Cina. Ovvero il Convitato di pietra'' (1967) (''The Red Book and the Great Wall: An Impression of Mao's China'', trans. Ronald Strom (1968)) * ''Il dio Kurt'' (1969), drama * ''La vita è gioco'' (1969) * ''Il paradiso'' (1970) * ''Io e lui'' (1971) (''The Two of Us'', trans. Angus Davidson (1972)) * ''A quale tribù appartieni'' (1972) (''Which Tribe Do You Belong To?'', trans. Angus Davidson (1974)), "collection of articles from 10 years' junketing in Africa"Review
by
Paul Theroux Paul Edward Theroux (born April 10, 1941) is an American novelist and travel writer who has written numerous books, including the travelogue, ''The Great Railway Bazaar'' (1975). Some of his works of fiction have been adapted as feature films. He ...
* ''Un'altra vita'' (1973) (''Lady Godiva and other stories'', trans. Angus Davidson (1975)) * ''Al cinema'' (1975), essays * ''Boh'' 1976 (''The Voice of the Sea and other stories'', trans. Angus Davidson (1978)) * ''La vita interiore'' (1978) (''Time of Desecration'', trans. Angus Davidson (1980)) * ''Impegno controvoglia'' (1980) * ''1934'' (1982), (''1934'', trans. William Weaver (1983)), a novel * ''La cosa e altri racconti'' (1983) (''Erotic Tales'', trans. Tim Parks (1985)) * ''L'uomo che guarda'' (1985) (''The Voyeur'', trans. Tim Parks (1986)) * ''L'inverno nucleare'' (1986), essays and interviews * ''Il viaggio a Roma'' (1988) (''Journey to Rome'', trans. Tim Parks (1989)) * ''La villa del venerdì e altri racconti'' (1990)


Reviews

* Kelman, James (1980), review of ''Desecration'', in '' Cencrastus'' No. 4, Winter 1980–81, p. 49,


See also

* ''Le Mondes 100 Books of the Century, a list which includes ''Contempt'' or ''A Ghost at Noon''.


References


External links

* *
The Paris Review Interview
*

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moravia, Alberto Alberto Moravia 1907 births 1990 deaths Writers from Rome Italian film critics Italian male short story writers Italian male journalists Italian erotica writers Strega Prize winners PEN International Italian Communist Party MEPs MEPs for Italy 1984–1989 Viareggio Prize winners Italian Communist Party politicians Italian atheists Italian people of Jewish descent People of Venetian descent Italian psychological writers Burials at Campo Verano 20th-century Italian novelists 20th-century male writers Italian essayists Male essayists Italian male novelists Italian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian short story writers Italian male non-fiction writers Italian magazine founders Jewish Italian politicians