Description
An easy Italian reader by Francesca Colombo
Italo Svevo’s self-published 1923 novel takes the form of memoirs written by his protagonist, Zeno, a sick young man who is undergoing the new therapy of psychoanalysis and writing down his thoughts – on the instructions of his doctor, who later betrays him – as part of that process.
Follow poor Zeno as he explores his addictive personality, acquires a wife and later a lover, grieves for his dead father, fails at business, and eventually, many years later comes to the realisation that…
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
- .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
- 8 chapters to read and listen to
- Comprehension questions to check your understanding
- Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
- Suitable for students at pre-intermediate/intermediate level or above
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
How do I access my ebook?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?
Elsa –
I really enjoyed following the path of Zeno’s life and the audio was very clear, it was read at a nice pace and with great expression.
LauraB (verified owner) –
Zeno is a timeless story. Really enjoyed this easier reader after “reading” the full novel in italian and listening to the audiobook. At my mid-B level, I missed a lot in the original version. Having this edition really put the story together for me.
I am a huge fan of these condensed/simplified versions of italian classics. I just finished The Decameron, as an homage to our current pandemic times. The original was very long and became a bit of a slog at the end. The easier version was “just right!” as Goldilocks would say.
Mary (verified owner) –
I really enjoyed this summary of an Italian classic. It was clear and concise with a helpful glossary for the more difficult words.
Pete Furness (verified owner) –
I thought the book was a very interesting read. My comprehension of spoken and written Italian is about a good B1 but my speaking and writing level is about A1/A2.
I found the book relatively easy and the story was entertaining enough.
Derek Hook (verified owner) –
Ho trovato questo storia molte interessante, e adesso per il mio livello quasi facile. Continuerò di rileggere per ricordare la maggior part delle nuove parole e ora comincerò di leggere il versione più grande di più quatro cento pagine.
Questi libri mi aiutano molto
Peter DCOSTA –
I found This book quite readable for the average reader of Italian.
The topic of the book was quite humourus which made one want to finish it to the end.
chris clark (verified owner) –
I enjoyed this book and am now reading it for the second time.
This level isn’t easy for me but I manage to answer most of the questions correctly and not having a complete understanding means reading it for the second time is still worthwhile.
mercedesbirch (verified owner) –
At B1, it is a very easy way to read another work of Classical Italian Literature. This level means that the book is therefore accessible to many readers. It is set a book in Italian schools and, as I have already found, often reread later by adults in order to fully appreciate the author’s references to life, family, love and betrayal. That being said, the book contains many of life’s ‘everyday’ ingredients as well as Zeno’s discovery and is definitely worth a read. It acts a tempting taster for the original version.