The Temptation to Be Happy by Lorenzo Marone

The Temptation to Be Happy by Lorenzo Marone

‘Sad, funny, wise and unblinkingly honest, this is truly wonderful’

‘Uh-oh, here comes another one of those colourful curmudgeons who drop pearls of senior wisdom on their way to a new lease on life. Cesare certainly fits the stereotype, but he’s funny, interesting and grumpy enough to stay on the winning side of the formula.’

‘Immensely charming... Uplifting and very much on the side of life.’

‘Marone’s characters, irreverent and absurd, embark on adventures they had ceased to allow themselves to imagine in this darkly comedic take on ageing.’

‘An impressive literary feat…a charming tale of opportunities taken and missed.’

‘Lorenzo Marone is the new voice that literature needs.’

‘Unforgettable...comical and cynical while remaining tender and dramatic.’

‘The Temptation to be Happy is that very rare thing - a book that can make you both laugh and cry... Marone's undoubted skill [is] demonstrated in some beautiful lyrical passages.'

‘Poignant...[with] moments of touching eccentricity.’

‘A wonderful novel about ageing – ironic and light-footed.’

‘Packed with dark humour, the writer's embodiment of a near-octogenarian is an impressive feat.’

‘A charming tale.’

‘A toast to real happiness!’ 

‘A book that touches the heart...wonderfully honest, ingenious, quick and tragic.’

‘This novel owes its success largely to Lorenzo Marone’s wonderful character Cesare Annunziata, and to the funny and paradoxical fact that this is an excellent coming-of-age novel whose protagonist is over seventy years old.’

‘Comic, ironic, sarcastic descriptions that will make you smile but will also make you take a deep look at life in old age.’

Lorenzo Marone was born in 1974. Originally trained as a lawyer, he gave up his career to follow his passion for writing. His first novel, The Temptation to Be Happy, is a major bestseller in Italy. It has been translated into fifteen languages and was used as the inspiration for a film released in Italy in April 2017. Lorenzo Marone lives in Naples with his wife and son.

Shaun Whiteside’s translations from Italian include books by Tiziano Scarpa, Paolo Giordano, Melissa Panarello and Luther Blissett/Wu Ming Collective. He lives in London.