1951
The Conformist
Alberto Moravia · 1907–1990 · Italy
Originally Il conformista (Italian)
Why it matters
A man so desperate to be normal that he becomes a Fascist assassin, mistaking conformity for a cure. Moravia's cold anatomy of the ordinary evil that lets regimes function.
At a glance
psychological novelpolitical novel
Difficulty 5/10medium pace227 pagesInterior psychological analysis of a bureaucratic killer, dense but linear.
Deep dive
A man commits murder in service of a Fascist regime mainly to finally feel like everyone else — and Moravia spends the whole novel asking whether a life built entirely around 'normality' can survive contact with an actual choice.
Where to go next
Alberto Moravia · 1947The Woman of RomeLvl 4Medium pace
Antonio Tabucchi · 1994Pereira MaintainsLvl 4Medium pace
Italo Svevo · 1923Zeno's ConscienceLvl 6Medium pace
Cesare Pavese · 1950The Moon and the BonfiresLvl 6Slow burn
Luigi Pirandello · 1904The Late Mattia PascalLvl 5Medium pace
Gabriele D'Annunzio · 1889The Child of PleasureLvl 6Slow burn