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.