The glitter and cynicism of Rome under Mussolini provide the background of what is probably Alberto Moravia's best and best-known novel -- The Woman of Rome . It's the story of Adriana, a simple girl with no fortune but her beauty who models naked for a painter, accepts gifts from men, and could never quite identify the moment when she traded her private dream of home and children for the life of a prostitute. One of the very few novels of the twentieth century which can be ranked with the work of Dostoevsky, The Woman ...
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The glitter and cynicism of Rome under Mussolini provide the background of what is probably Alberto Moravia's best and best-known novel -- The Woman of Rome . It's the story of Adriana, a simple girl with no fortune but her beauty who models naked for a painter, accepts gifts from men, and could never quite identify the moment when she traded her private dream of home and children for the life of a prostitute. One of the very few novels of the twentieth century which can be ranked with the work of Dostoevsky, The Woman of Rome also tells the stories of the tortured university student Giacomo, a failed revolutionary who refuses to admit his love for Adriana; of the sinister figure of Astarita, the Secret Police officer obsessed with Adriana; and of the coarse and brutal criminal Sonzogno, who treats Adriana as his private property. Within this story of passion and betrayal, Moravia calmly strips away the pride and arrogance hiding the corrupt heart of Italian Fascism.
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Add this copy of The Woman of Rome to cart. $5.52, very good condition, Sold by Valley Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Amherst, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1951 by Signet.
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome: a Novel (Italia) to cart. $5.98, very good condition, Sold by Solr Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Skokie, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Steerforth Press.
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Very good. Pages are clean! Minor shelf wear Some corner dings. Fast Shipping-Each order powers our free bookstore in Chicago and sending books to Africa!
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome: a Novel (Italia) to cart. $5.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Zoland Books.
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Add this copy of The Woman of Rome Gga to cart. $10.00, good condition, Sold by Reed Books rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Birmingham, AL, UNITED STATES, published by Signet.
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome to cart. $10.23, fair condition, Sold by Best and Fastest Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Wantage, NJ, UNITED STATES.
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Fair. Cover has heavy tearing/wear Reading copy only, has significant to heavy reading/age wear and tear, may have some staining or water damage, pages may be tanned or fragile, may have loose hinges, may have light to heavy markings, not collector/gift quality. We take great pride in accurately describing the condition of our books and media, ship within 48 hours, and offer a 100% money back guarantee. Customers purchasing more than one item from us may be entitled to a shipping discount.
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome to cart. $13.82, good condition, Sold by Jenhams rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dundee, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1982 by Penguin.
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Very Good condition, slight tanning to page margins, appears unused. This book is in stock now, in our UK premises. Photos of our books are available on request (the pictures you see on Alibris are NOT our own). Are you outside UK? Then unless you arrange shipping 'Via Alibris' we WILL cancel your order; this is due to the derisory shipping allowance that Alibris make to sellers for overseas orders.
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome (Penguin Uk) to cart. $13.89, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES.
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome to cart. $14.62, fair condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES.
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Acceptable. First edition copy. Collectible-Acceptable. No Dust Jacket Slightly dampstained. Rear hinge cracked, Owner's name on inside. (Italy, Prostitutes, Adriana, Mussolini)
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome to cart. $15.00, very good condition, Sold by Old Scrolls Book Shop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Stanley, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1949 by Grosset & Dunlap.
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Very Good+ in Very Good jacket. Book New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1949. Reprint. Very Good+/Very Good. Grosset & Dunlap edition in photo illustrated dust jacket. Beige boards with red lettering on spine. Clean, no fraying or wear. Binding is tight and square, hinges are sound-no cracking. Pages are clean with clean endpapers-no names, writing or marks. Translated from the Italian by Lydia Holland. 433 pages. Dust jacket has corner chips at top of spine, edgewear, price clipped at top corner of front inside flap. Enclosed in new archival quality removable mylar cover. A novel about a woman of Rome--she is a strikingly beautiful artists' model who dreams of a home, a family of relief from the extreme poverty of lower-class Rome. Driven by a greedy mother, seduced by a married man, she turns inevitably to prostitution.
Add this copy of The Woman of Rome to cart. $15.00, good condition, Sold by My Book Heaven rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Alameda, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1952 by Signet.
Alberto Moravia was a leading mid-Twentieth Century Italian novelist and short story writer. Although his works were quickly translated into English, they were little read in the United States. Fortunately for interested readers, many of his books are now in print again and accessible, including his 1949 novel, "The Woman of Rome".
The book tells the story of Adriana, a beautiful, poor, and uneducated young woman who begins as an artist's model at the age of 16. Although she dreams of a quiet, modest home with a loving husband and children, she becomes both a prostitute and a thief. As a prostitute, she is involved with a number of men with competing ideologies and interests including Astarita, a Fascist chief of police, Giacomo, a student revolutionary against the Fascists and Sozmogo, a criminal and a thug.
The story is told in the first person. Adriana is always on stage and the character of highest interest. The reader gets to know her well. The book is told in a linear, easy-to-follow style which builds to a large crescendo at the end of the first part. The second part of the book loses slightly in dramatic intensity and in construction.
As with any work of depth, this book functions on a number of levels which reject easy paraphrase or simple meaning. Many readers see the book as a picture of corruption in Rome while others see it more as the story of Adriana. I am more inclined to the second view. As far as I can tell, however, there is a strong spiritual theme in the book which sometimes gets too little emphasis in the pull of conflicting readings.
There are no less than four pivotal scenes in The Woman of Rome set in a church. Although the book is replete with sex, violence and raw brutality, it is also highly internalized. Many of its most effective moments are those in which Adriana reflects (in church or out) on her life and on the course it has taken.
The German philosopher Friederich Nietzsche (Adriana does not mention and would not have known of him) used the phrase "amor fati" to describe the wise person's attitude towards life. The phrase means loving one's destiny or, to use another related Nietzschean phrase, "becoming who one is". The specific facts of one's life may be determined by circumstance. What is not determined is one's attitude. A person can understand his or her life and accept it joyfully, regardless of its state. It is in the acceptance and understanding that choice resides and that gives life its value and dignity.
The novel shows the attempt of a poor, but intelligent woman to find "amor fati" and to become who she is. She struggles to accept her nature and her being as a prostitute. Many of Adriana's reflections in the church are quite explicit and insightful. Adriana, alas, is no more successful than are most people in staying with her insight into herself. That, in my opinion, is the tragedy of the story which leads to the downfall of the men involved with Adriana.
The spiritual tone of the book goes well beyond Nietzsche. Together with the theme of amor fati, there is a religiosity that emphasizes, in the context of Western theology, God as merciful and as all-forgiving rather than God as a moralizer or judge. This God -- or self-understanding is open to all regardless of creed or station. The religion that seems to be espoused in the book recognizes the sinful, fallen nature of people and their frequent inability to change. It seems to suggest the possibility of atonement and forgiveness offered to everyone by a turning of the heart, even if, perhaps, behavior cannot be changed. It is a powerful picture of a God of mercy and forgiveness who holds the possibility of love out to all.
"The Woman of Rome" is a first-rate Twentieth Century novel.
