Italo Svevo (1861-1928) was one of the first Italian novelists to consequentially apply psychoanalytical discoveries to literature.Italo Svevo was born Ettore Schmitz on Dec. 19, 1861, in Trieste, one...
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Known for his experimentation in style, language, theme, and narrative technique, Italo Svevo is a seminal figure in the development of the modern European novel. Unappreciated for many years, Svevo d...
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In the following assessment of "The Hoax, " an anonymous critic commends Svevo's effort, asserting that, "though the story is simple, Svevo has made more of it than most wr...
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Below, Simon favorably assesses Further Confessions of Zeno, perceiving "a cheerful banter that can swerve as easily into madcap satire as into genuine pathos, but most of the time remains just...
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In the essay below, Robison suggests that Svevo's view of art is similar to Sigmund Freud's and that "The Hoax" contains three Freudian principles that help readers to unde...
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In the following essay, Bondanella argues that "The Hoax" illustrates why Svevo should be considered a forerunner of the Italian absurd.
Though there is no longer any need to introdu...
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In the essay below, Champagne finds the ancient Pharmakon 's dual quality in Svevo's short fiction and discusses the author's use of language as an alternate order to time and spa...
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In the following excerpt, Lebowitz argues that Svevo 's later fiction evolves into a more traditional and less dramatic form.
It has often been noted that the more traditional narrative mode...
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In the following excerpt, Weiss explores Svevo's short fiction and finds a growing propensity toward literary experimentation.
It was not until 1888, that the fledgling author [Svevo] made h...
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In the following essay, Saccone points to the continuous use of dramatic struggle in Svevo's work as a way to illustrate "literature as correction of life. "
"Una lotta&...
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In the following evaluation of The Nice Old Man and the Pretty Girl, and Other Stories, an anonymous critic finds important qualities of the Italian edition missing from the English translation.
Th...
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Below, Nelson discusses various themes in Svevo's short fiction, including "canine psychology" (from a dog's point of view), the old in love with the young, and death.
H...
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In the following review of Short Sentimental Journey, and Other Stories, Tanner suggests that Svevo has an "unfading fascination for the relationship between mind and body. "
Literary...
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In the following review of Short Sentimental Journey, and Other Stories, Pritchett calls Svevo "a natural truth-teller, " adding that even though it may not be apparent in the beginning,...
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In the following review of Short Sentimental Journey, and Other Stories, Simon describes Svevo's writing as both realistic and poetic. He concludes: "Svevo saw life as a joke Mother Natu...
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Below, Guzzardi describes the similarities between the works of Svevo and French novelist Marcel Proust, commenting that Svevo's "contribution almost matches Proust's influence on...
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In the following survey of the writings collected in Short Sentimental Journey, and Other Stories, Mancini concludes that to understand Svevo properly, readers must review all of his fiction, particul...
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Italo Svevo
Aron Hector Schmitz
Critical Review by The New York Times Book Review
