I should have read this in Italian but I'm laaaaaazy. Not really sure how I feel about it. Interesting intellectually, but not super engaging as a reader.

Quotes: "Tal sorte toccò anche a me; e fin dal primo giorno io concepii così misera stima dei libri, sieno essi a stampa o manoscritti (come alcuni antichissimi della nostra biblioteca), che ora non mi sarei mai e poi mai messo a scrivere, se, come ho detto, non stimassi davvero strano il mio caso e tale da poter servire d’ammaestramento a qualche curioso lettore, che per avventura, riducendosi finalmente a effetto l’antica speranza della buon’anima di monsignor Boccamazza, capitasse in questa biblioteca, a cui io lascio questo mio manoscritto, con l’obbligo però che nessuno possa aprirlo se non cinquant’anni dopo la mia terza, ultima e definitiva morte." (ok so I read it in Italian a little bit)

"—And above all, I said to myself, I will cherish this freedom of mine. I'll walk with it along smooth, ever new paths; I'll never force it into burdensome dress. Whenever the spectacle of life takes on an unpleasant aspect, I'll close my eyes and walk on. I'll try to pass most of my time with so-called inanimate things, seek out lovely views and charming, quiet spots. Little by little, I'll give myself a new training. With patient, loving study, I'll transform myself so that, finally, I can say not only that I lived two lives, but that I was two men."

"Life is stirring, bustling here or there, in all its variety. And in how many places have I said: Here I could settle down! Here I’d be happy to live! And I envied the inhabitants living there quietly, with their habits, their daily tasks, never knowing the painful sense of precariousness that keeps the traveler's spirit in a state of suspense." LOVE THIS!!! I feel this way every time I go somewhere new. I could live in Denver, in New Orleans, in Bordeaux, in Lyons, in London, in Edinburgh, in Seattle. I can't help it!!!

Un romanzo singolare, come non mi capitava di leggere da tempo, che stimola e fa riflettere sulla condizione umana. Assolutamente consigliato.

I’m not sure that the English translations do this novel justice. The genre of farce requires a delicate handling of dialogue and description, and there are nuances of Italian culture which I am certain I have missed from what I assume is an unskilful translation. The story itself explores several aspects of identity that are still familiar to us despite the novel having being written in 1904 and set 100 years before that. The fantasy of moving away to another town or country and beginning again with a new identity is still prevalent, and the social construction of our identity is as important as ever. The protagonist Mattia Pascal suffers from a lack of individuation until he encounters a genuine emotional connection and it is only this crisis which ultimately forces him to take responsibility for his own identity.

It was a difficult novel to get into, with the humour being lost on me (presumably in translation). I didn’t enjoy it and it was only in discussion that I appreciated the psychological aspects of the plot and characterisation.

Sfortunatamente/Fortunatamente ho dovuto leggerlo con la scadenza della biblioteca, e considerando il fatto che ho dovuto farne un riassunto della trama prima di leggerlo, direi che sì, nonostante sapessi il contenuto e il finale mi ha sorpreso e mi è piaciuto molto.

Gölge Adam merakla takip edilecek bir kurgunun yanında size derin bir içsel sorgulama imkanı da vadediyor. Ben olsam ne yapardım, şöyle olsa daha iyi olmaz mıydı tartışması okurken sürekli zihninizi meşgul ediyor. Kitapta olanlar yaşarken ölmenin ve ölü gibi yaşamanın düşündürücü bir serüveni aslında. Son zamanlarda okurken en çok duygunun bana geçtiği eser oldu Gölge Adam. Kitapta kahramanımızın başına gelen herşey okuyucuya sanki yanında yaşanıyormuş gibi etkili bir dille aktarılmış. Kitabın sonuna eklenen eleştirilere yanıt niteliğindeki bölümü de çok eğlenceli ve anlamlı buldum. Bence okunmaya değer harika bir kitap. Tek pişmalığım kitabı çapraz okumalarla okumak oldu ki o da benim hatam :) İyi okumalar.