The October meeting of the Italian Book Club in Mumbai will be dedicated to The Late Mattia Pascal (1904) by Luigi Pirandello, one of the great classics of twentieth-century Italian literature.
The novel tells the story of Mattia Pascal, a man whose life takes an unexpected turn when he is mistakenly declared dead. Seizing the opportunity to leave his old identity behind, Mattia decides to start over under a new name, hoping to build a different life, free from the constraints of his past. Yet reinventing oneself proves far more complicated than he imagined: without an official identity, he soon discovers that freedom can come with unexpected limitations.
With his characteristic irony and wit, Pirandello explores themes of identity, illusion and the fragile relationship between the individual and society. Through an extraordinary and often absurd sequence of events, the novel raises questions that remain strikingly relevant today: how much of who we are is shaped by the way others see us? And can we ever truly become someone else?
The book can be read in Italian or in English translation. The discussion is open to all lovers of Italian literature and culture.
Wednesday, October 28 | Title Waves Bookstore, Bandra | 6:30 p.m.