Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, reading Italo Svevo’s “La Conscience de Zeno”

I am a part of the sect of Zeno’s admirers. This book, renowned and unsung at the same time, is both happy and melancholic. It tells the story of a terribly human man, with his qualities, flaws and hesitations. It is about a European man, fostered in the culture and values of our continent, marked by the menacing shadow of war, which has represented a challenge for a long time. Mainly, it is a book full of unique humour and irony; it is the portrait of an anti-hero, keen on self-mockery. I have always thought that one of the biggest flaws a human can have was taking himself seriously. For all those who want to avoid it; reading Zéno is an astonishing antidote.

Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs