The Confessions of Zeno
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La coscienza di Zeno, or Confessions of Zeno, is a novel by Italian writer Italo Svevo, first published in 1923. The novel is presented as the written memoirs of its protagonist, Zeno Cosini, who is undergoing psychoanalysis.1
The narrative explores Zeno's attempts to understand and overcome his various neuroses and bad habits, such as smoking, which he chronicles in his "confessions" for his psychiatrist. Svevo, a pioneer of the psychological novel in Italy, uses Zeno's introspective and often unreliable account to delve into the complexities of the human psyche. The work was not immediately successful but gained recognition later, partly due to the admiration of James Joyce.1
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