The Conformist
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Summary
This is the question Marcello poses to himself over the course of his life.
He was born into an indifferent family, and his secret violent tendencies and unusual gender temperament caused him pain from an early age. An accidental act of violence only strengthened his resolve to return to normality.
As an adult, like millions of others, he supports the same party, holds a normal job, and marries a woman from an ordinary family...
If one simply follows the crowd, can life stay on track, can all abnormalities be erased, can one hide oneself among the many?
The conformist understands: his desperate search for conformity stems from an awareness of his own difference, and he has never accepted that difference.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Literary readers interested in individual identity and herd mentality
- Readers of European fiction who enjoy dense psychological portraiture and restrained narration
- Readers interested in Moravia's work and modern Italian literature
- Those who wish to reflect through fiction on the standards of "normality" and self-acceptance
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting strong plot, fast pacing, or clear reversals
- Readers who prefer light, healing, or emotionally bright reading
- Readers sensitive to gloomy psychology and hints of violence
Reading tips
- Read through once to grasp Marcello's psychological trajectory, then revisit the turning points before and after the key violent event.
- Jot down the sentences in which the protagonist repeatedly questions himself, and after finishing compare them with your own understanding of "normality."
- May be read alongside essays on identity or herd mentality, though no theoretical framework is required.
- If it feels oppressive, read chapter by chapter and take breaks with lighter texts in between.
About the publisher
Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序幕
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 第一部分
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 第二部分
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 尾声
- 一
- 二
- 三
FAQ
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About the author
Alberto Moravia is an Italian writer, usually classified under foreign literature in the Chinese-speaking world. Public information is limited: his dates of birth and death, education, and awards are not recorded in our database, so this profile outlines his writing mainly through the eight works available here. Representative titles include Two Women, Contempt, The Time of Indifference, The Conformist, The Woman of Rome, and Bitter Honeymoon and Other Stories. These titles suggest that Moravia was concerned with the daily lives and emotional predicaments of ordinary people, often set against the streets of Rome and across social classes. His tone is calm and restrained, with a critical eye. His works frequently explore marriage, family, desire, and moral compromise, and his characters often reveal inner hesitation and loneliness under the pressure of reality. Rather than relying on dramatic plots, Moravia emphasizes psychological portraiture and the reconstruction of social atmosphere, making him an important literary voice for understanding twentieth-century Italian society and human nature.
Wang Jianquan has three works available in the Chinese book market, commonly classified under foreign literature. Representative titles include The Conformist, The Dwarfs on the Dwarf Star, and The Finzi-Contini Garden. Due to limited publicly available information, it is not possible to confirm his nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, or professional experience, and no widely used English name has been established. Judging from the titles and classification of these three works, Wang Jianquan's translation or writing focuses on foreign literary works, touching on themes with a speculative and imaginative literary character: The Conformist suggests questions of identity and group relations, The Dwarfs on the Dwarf Star displays an allegorical or fantastic quality, and The Finzi-Contini Garden uses a specific place as its thread, possibly carrying a narrative of family and memory. Overall, his works offer Chinese readers a reading path into foreign literature.
