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Zeno Zeno Zeno, where do I begin! Life in Trieste was not going good was it, and you really did have some problems didn't you my dear old fellow; not only were attempts to cure your smoking sickness an utter disaster, after being introduced to his daughters by Giovanni Malfenti you would end up with both a lovely wife in Augusta but also a desirable mistress in Carla, and not have true feelings for either one of them. And the reason? - you were in love with Augusta's sister Ada but she didn't feel the same way about you, and would end up being charmed by Guido while he played the violin and they would go on and tie the knot. Another issue was Guido who you secretly despised for winning over Ada, would become your business partner where things did not exactly go according to plan, after financial difficulties Guido would take drastic measures that would leave you in limbo. Your psychoanalyst thinks your memoirs are a good source of therapy and would help with your neuroses, what would he know! Looking back on the events through five interrelated stories, concerning the death of your father, your marriage and career and the feeble way in which you tried to give up smoking because you just could not resist that so called last cigarette it was a complete joy reading about your history in a way that acutely identified the paradoxes of human behaviour, whether that be yourself or others. Italo Svevo has done a wonderful job in telling your tale, with exquisite lyrical writing and some memorable moments that were most charming, often humorous, and at times deeply profound. And, unlike Joyce's Ulysses, which left me wanting to pull my hair out in clumps, this modernism classic was quite easy to follow in comparison. Sadly, what I had hoped would be an inspiration for me in my own desperate attempts to ditch the coffin nails things could be better. Now, where did I leave that blasted ashtray!