''Gli Indifferenti'' (''The Time of Indifference'', also translated as ''The Indifferent Ones'') is a novel by

Alberto Moravia Alberto Moravia ( , ; born Alberto Pincherle ; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990) was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia is best known for his de ...

, published in 1929.

Background

After a meeting with friends at which it was agreed that each should produce a novel, the young Moravia began writing the story that would become ''Gli Indifferenti''. Moravia sent the manuscript to the editor of ''900'', a bilingual (Italian-French) review with which he had previously published some short stories. It was dismissed as a "mist of words". The novel was published with a ₤5,000 contribution from Moravia's father, Carlo Pincherle, as the Milanese publisher Alpes was unwilling to take a risk on an unknown author.

Plot synopsis

''Gli Indifferenti'' is a psychological portrayal of the life of a middle-class mother and her two children. The action of the novel takes place largely over two days. Leo, the wealthy lover of Mariagrazia, a middle-class widow, begins an affair with her daughter, Carla. Carla decides that she will sleep with Leo the following day (her twenty-fourth birthday) in order "to begin a new life".

Reception

The first edition sold out within a number of weeks. An English translation of the novel was published in United States in 1935 under the title ''The Indifferent Ones''. Another English translation was published in Great Britain in 1953 under the title ''The Time of Indifference''.

Film versions

*''

Time of Indifference ''Time of Indifference'' ( it, Gli indifferenti) is a 1964 Italian film directed by Francesco Maselli and based on the novel '' Gli indifferenti'' by Alberto Moravia. It stars Claudia Cardinale. Plot A penniless countess falls in love wit ...

'' (''Gli indifferenti''), 1964 film directed by

Francesco Maselli Francesco Maselli or Citto Maselli (born 9 December 1930, in Rome) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has directed 38 films since 1949. Biography Maselli graduated at the National Film School in 1949 and began his career as assist ...

*''A Time of Indifference'' (''Gli indifferenti''), 1987 television miniseries directed by

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director of literate sensibility, known for his masterly handling of period subject matter. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. ...

*'' The Time of Indifference'' (''Gli indifferenti''), 2020 film directed by Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli

Background

Plot synopsis

Reception

Film versions

See also