Alberto Moravia


Author

About

Also Known As
Alberto Pincherle
Birth Place
Italy
Born
November 28, 1907
Died
September 26, 1990

Biography

Eminent, highly regarded 20th-century Italian author, whose numerous works, such as "The Woman of Rome" (1947) and "The Conformist" (1951), paved the way for other European postwar novelists with their explicit depiction of sex and sexuality. A sickly, lonely child, Moravia began his first novel at 16, and after finding no one to bring it out, self-published "Gli Indifferenti/The Time of...

Family & Companions

Elsa Morante
Wife
Writer. Married 1941; first wife.
Carmen Llera
Wife
Advertising executive. Born c. 1954; married 1986; second wife.

Bibliography

"La Cosa"
Alberto Moravia (1983)
"1934"
Alberto Moravia (1982)
"La Ciociara"
Alberto Moravia (1957)
"Il Conformista"
Alberto Moravia (1951)

Biography

Eminent, highly regarded 20th-century Italian author, whose numerous works, such as "The Woman of Rome" (1947) and "The Conformist" (1951), paved the way for other European postwar novelists with their explicit depiction of sex and sexuality. A sickly, lonely child, Moravia began his first novel at 16, and after finding no one to bring it out, self-published "Gli Indifferenti/The Time of Indifference" in 1929. After several other attacks on fascism, which made him a marked man by the Mussolini regime, Moravia came into his own after the war, producing prolific tales of Rome and sex.

Though he wrote directly for the screen on several occasions, Moravia's greatest contribution to the cinema has been his many short stories and novels. Notable adaptations of his novels include Vittorio De Sica's "Two Women" (1960), based on "La Ciociara," Jean-Luc Godard's "Contempt" (1963), from "Il Disprezzo," Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Conformist" (1970), from the book of the same name, and Dorris Dorrie's "Me and Him" (1988) from "Io et lui."

Life Events

1924

Began writing first novel (date approximate)

1929

Self-published first novel, "Gli Indifferenti/The Time of Indifference"

1934

Lectured at Columbia University

1952

Works declared immoral by the Vatican and placed on its Index of Forbidden Books (though in the mid-1960s the Index was discontinued)

Videos

Movie Clip

Contempt (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Completely, Tenderly, And Tragically Artsy director Jean-Luc Godard makes no explanation for his lighting in this scene introducing principals Camille (Brigitte Bardot) and Paul (Michel Piccoli) in Contempt, 1963, from a novel by Alberto Moravia.
Contempt (1963) -- (Movie Clip) A Story Of That World Ever unorthodox Jean-Luc Godard narrates his own credits, the opening to his 1963 movie-business tale Contempt, starring Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli and Jack Palance, from a novel by Alberto Moravia.
Contempt (1963) -- (Movie Clip) I'll Take A Taxi Big-shot Prokosch (Jack Palance) insists that Camille (Brigitte Bardot) ride with him and husband Paul (Michel Piccoli) is happy to grab a cab, in a key moment in Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt, 1963.
Contempt (1963) -- (Movie Clip) I Like Gods Unhappy producer Prokosch (Jack Palance) and writer Paul (Michel Piccoli) drop in on Fritz Lang (playing himself) and screening his fictional "Odysseus," in Jean-Luc Godard's movie-business commentary Contempt, 1963.
Two Women (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Those Germans Aren't So Bad Fleeing Allied bombs in Rome, Cesira (Sophia Loren) and daughter Rosetta (Eleanora Brown), decide to walk when the train can't go on, amusing German soldiers, in Vittorio De Sica's drama of the war crime campaign known as the “Marocchinate,” Two Women, 1960.
Two Women (1960) -- (Movie Clip) To A New World Cesira (Sophia Loren), Rosetta (Eleanora Brown) and their Marxist friend Michele (Jean-Paul Belmondo), are the only villagers willing to feed two English soldiers, in Vittorio De Sica's Two Women, 1960.
Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow -- (Movie Clip) I'll Grow Roots Famous scene with Sophia Loren (as Roman prostitute Mara) doing a striptease for client Augusto (Marcello Mastroianni), when she remembers a vow, from the third part of Vittorio De Sica's three-part comedy Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow, 1964.
Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow -- (Movie Clip) You Have Money In You Married Anna (Sophia Loren) and her reluctant lover, writer Renzo (Marcello Mastroianni), in her fancy car, in the second part of Vittorio De Sica's three-part Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow, 1964.
Contempt (1964) -- (Movie Clip) I'm Sure You Lied Paul (Michel Piccoli) grills wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot, in a wig) about the half-hour she spent alone with a movie producer, photography by Raoul Coutard, in Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt, 1964.

Companions

Elsa Morante
Wife
Writer. Married 1941; first wife.
Carmen Llera
Wife
Advertising executive. Born c. 1954; married 1986; second wife.

Bibliography

"La Cosa"
Alberto Moravia (1983)
"1934"
Alberto Moravia (1982)
"La Ciociara"
Alberto Moravia (1957)
"Il Conformista"
Alberto Moravia (1951)
"The Woman of Rome"
Alberto Moravia, Farrar, Straus (1947)
"The Fancy Dress Party"
Alberto Moravia (1941)
"Mistaken Ambitions"
Alberto Moravia (1935)
"Gli Indifferenti"
Alberto Moravia (1929)